Unavoidable costs of escaping flooding misery must not be shirked - The Yorkshire Post says

From the summer flooding in 2007 that cost lives in Hull and Sheffield, to the devastating events in December 2015 that caused hundreds of millions of pounds worth of damage locally and resulted in the collapse of Tadcaster Bridge, there are few areas of the county that have not been affected in some way by the issue in recent years.

Now the Environment Agency has warned that at least £1bn a year needs to be spent on traditional flood and coastal defences – while also stating the that way the nation builds houses, and where they are located, also needs to change in the face of climate change.

The situation is so serious, EA chairwoman Emma Howard Boyd has said some communities may have to move entirely “out of harm’s way” as the areas where they are currently based become uninhabitable.

On our current path, the country is heading for something of a perfect storm, with climate change combined with population growth meaning it is predicted the number of properties built on flood plains over the next 50 years is expected to double.

There is also a lack of general knowledge about the extent of the problem as it stands today, with only a third of people who live in areas at risk of flooding currently believing their property is under threat.

The challenge will be a great one and adapting the country to increasing flood risks will come at a great financial cost, as well as an emotional one for anyone who may have to move home.

But, as anyone who has been directly affected by the misery that flooding can cause will attest, doing nothing to prevent or minimise problems would ultimately come at a much greater price.