The Liberal Party notes with great sadness the aftermath of widespread flooding after the recent heavy rainfall which has left homes and land underwater.
The party believes that recent extreme weather is another warning of climate change, and that urgent action is required to mitigate such extreme events both nationally and locally.
Urban planners need to discourage housing developments that encroach onto floodplains and taken action to increase urban drainage which is increasingly reduced by over developments and the loss of gardens which soak up the water.
In rural area’s action need to be taken to contain excess hillside runoff with tree planting, the restructuring of rivers carry away the water efficiency and to invest in floodplains to disperse the excess.
Flood water is often contaminated with sewage as water companies continue to discharge into rivers to release the build up of water within the drainage systems.
This is an unwelcome practice which OFWAT and the environment agency should be working to eliminate as it adds to the damage from such flooding events.