Flood defence blame game

Should we even be pointing the finger at or blaming anyone when we have suffered the wettest December and January for decades with some seriously extreme weather and more rain yet to fall?

No-one could have prevented the tidal surge that blew in from the North Sea and brought Rye to the brink of flooding.

Yet we are living in an age where blame culture is rife.

The worker who contacted us said he and others like him were bearing the brunt of the public’s frustration and the very sight of his Environment Agency van was enough to prompt accusations and sometimes even abuse. This is unacceptable.

It is a well recorded fact that Environment Agency teams worked tirelessly through the night to protect Rye from flooding and won the thanks of many local people and Rye Town Council for its efforts.

Rye has proved it can withstand some extreme weather conditions at present, but we cannot be complacent. REACT chair Anthony Kimber is right when he says there cannot be any future cuts.