Leader - How much are we ready to pay?
Is it any wonder that talking about the weather is such an obsession when you look at the chaos that it causes?
Is it any wonder that talking about the weather is such an obsession when you look at the chaos that it causes?
In an agricultural county like Shropshire, the vagaries of the weather have a profound impact on the local economy.
Fruit farmers here say they are suffering their worst start to the growing season for over 40 years because of the rain and cold.
Growers have already lost two weeks of fruit-picking as many crops in the fields have not yet ripened.
Look around, and you will see roadside verges are growing out of control in Shropshire. Councils have cut back on cutting back to save money and in the past have got away with it because the combination of weather meant growth was in check. However, this time round the gamble has failed.
Ironbridge Regatta? The event at the weekend was cancelled because of potentially hazardous conditions.
But turn back the clock only a couple of months and we were all being warned that there was an official drought. It seems not to have stopped raining since.
At least Shropshire has escaped the floods which have hit other parts hard in the past few days.
As a nation we are unprepared for what the weather throws at us as a matter of policy.
Just as very few motorists see any point in investing in, say, snow chains for once-in-a-generation snowfall, councils and the Government have to weigh up whether it is worth paying billions to try to combat the extremes of weather which only very occasionally come our way.
So while it is natural to fret about the weather, how many people are happy to see their taxes go up to pay for measures to mitigate its effects?