Flooding proves worse to come

I write in the wake of the severe flooding locally in Telford and elsewhere, which is a tragedy for those families who have lost loved ones or their homes, but a warning of possibly worse to come.

Some will say that this has been foretold by those warning of climate change - or global warming - while a minority may say it is all naturally-occurring weather.

Interestingly, whilst we are suffering such extreme rainfall elsewhere in Europe there is a heatwave with temperatures of up to 44 degrees C (111 degrees F) with 19 people dying in Romania because of the heat.

Many parts of the USA are experiencing a prolonged drought with California described as not having the resources to support such a high population under such conditions.

Certainly the warnings of extreme weather conditions appear to be accurate. Part of the explanation for the severity of the flooding lies in increasing development.

This prevents much rainfall soaking into the ground and forces vast quantities of water into artificial drainage systems which cannot cope.

A sensible planning response is the increased and more effective requirement of sustainable urban drainage systems which can help slow down the release of such great quantities of water.

How many warnings do we need to be given before society wakes up to the reality of climate change and responds effectively through significantly cutting our energy use?

Robert Saunders, Leegomery