Oh, the horror!

What - four days of flooding, and there are still tens of thousands homeless, and without water and electricity! And the government was warned seven years prior?

And Brown just "flies" over the flooded areas to inspect the damage? What heartlessness.

With events increasing in ferocity and New Labour's nanny state infrastructure cannot catch up with it?

Why, shades of Bush and Katrina and the sneering of the Brit lefties and Eurotrash at America's disaster incompetence!

All these poor folk should have been fully restored to rights by now!!!

Melusine, Woodland Hills, USA

It's the summer holiday and there must be many teachers out there, including myself, who would like to help. Maybe there are people who would willingly put up flood victims. How do we get in touch with those who need it? Could a national disaster support register be established?
Trisha, Cardiff

Trisha, Cardiff, Wales

Global warming? HYPERBOLE! the earth has shifted on it's axis,check it out, airport runways have had to have their headings changed because they don't point in the same direction anymore.
As for the government,they are hell bent on flooding our tiny island with millions of foreigners and still want to build thousands of new homes on flood plains.
Infrastructure is falling behind in every way possible as the population spirals out of control.

CLIVE BURGHARD , LANCING, ENGLAND

Hopefully the British Government will treat it's people better than our Goverment treated the "Katrina" flood victims, and the American people. Billions of dollars of aid wasted by both the Government and the people who received it. In the back of my mind I have wondered if our Government deliberately let the people in New Orleans suffer JUST to see how the American people would react in just such an emergency IN CASE someday we were to have a large scale terrirst attack. How else would you explain their slow response in giving aid? It wasn't a pretty picture.

Donna, Arkansas, United States

This government yet again is reacting rather that doing what people vote them in for that is being pro-active. Governments have all the facts and are well aware of the disastrous consequences of not putting flood defences into certain areas. They along with local councils who only see new housing developments as cash cows, don’t really care about people, until its comes to election time, and only then if you live in a marginal constituency. Its about time we made these control freaks more accountable to the people. This labour lot certainly are proactive about going to war, and diminishing our civil liberties. Please don’t forget Brown’s been in charge of domestic affairs for the past 10yrs so he’s mostly to blame for the last of lack of safety infrastructure.

Michael Mallin, Sheffield,

To all of those who are concern about immigration, it is better you look inside of your foreign policy. you have a problem but was created by you.

Simões, Lisbon,

Well...though I may agree with some of the sentiments expressed here, the only person I raise my hat to is Zoe! THAT is what society is all about! I pray you get your opportunity to serve and that you bring some of your positive good nature to bear where it is most needed. Cheers!

Greg, Washington DC, USA

10,000 homes flooded across the West Country and Thames Valley... heart breaking for those affected - BUT when Hull was under water (17,000 homes flooded) where were the 4 days of front page news items, live TV reports from Hull etc.(we had to wait over a week for the media&politicians to realise we had flooded!) Luckily our water supplies didnt fail, but still the damage was done and large parts of the city now resemble caravan parks... my only hope is that this event brings more attention to the lack of adequate drainage and flood defences in this country.

gareth, Hull, East yorkshire

Where are Geldof and co.now. Charity begins at home, get them at it for UK citizens for a change.

CJ, Thalwil, Switzerland

Yes, trouble in England but I guarantee you it will be handled much efficiently than it was (and is being handled) in New Orleans.

Mary T Lyn, New Orleans, LA, USA

It rather looks much like it did here in northeast Oklahoma, and southeast Kansas earlier this month. We had very heavy rains and flooding here, too. My sympathies to those who have had their homes and business damaged or ruined. I know that his isn't a common occurance in the UK, but we see it here in the US every year. No matter what we do, nature will not be denied.
I just hope that the damage isn't irrepairable, and that you all remain safe.
Hang in there, folks! This, too, will pass.

Robert Conner, Claremore, OK, USA

Absolutely appalling. My heart goes out to all Britons affected by these horrific floods. I was a fellow in Oxford in the seventies and am worried about the libraries; not to mention the people. Hoping all will be well.

Aadu, Toronto, Canada

As a fan of the English countryside, an historian and lover of Shakespeare's works, I have not heard of any damage to historic structures or sites by the flooding. I am sure the people are being cared for, but are the beautiful structures that make England being harmed-Shakespeare's birthplace? The Hathaway cottege and others flooded or safe?

Christine, Columbia, Missouri

Jenny from london - it's not just waterfront apartments, that's a very naive view - i've been up there and we're talking about whole towns. Tewkesbury is far from being a rich place, it's more morrisons than waitrose. (literally).

a different jenny, london,

Haha, the last post is classic. Global warming denial and a pop at the immigrants too. Britain is sinking, goodbye.

Andrew, Berlin, Germany

You all know of course that there will be a hosepipe ban next week don't you ?

Tony Gratton, Larnaca, Cyprus

Welcome to the Third World England

Ron Decline, New Orleans, LA US OF A

"I bet they're regretting buying their glamourous waterfront properties now. - Jenny, London"

Really classy, great idea and time to take a dig on people for owning a home. I can only imagine the positive comments you said about New Orleans, when those people lost all they had.

Prayers to all those affected by this disaster.

BigUKFan, Northern Virginia, USA

Wow, immigration and over-development concerns. You folks sound like Americans.

At the end of the day, rooftops and concrete don't absorb water as well as the sod they have replaced. It's just a bigger headline grabber for the media to blame global warming instead of weather patterns. Why don't we work harder to prevent the overdevelopment problems we know humans can control?

Becks, Phila, PA

.....I bet they're regretting buying their glamourous waterfront properties now.

Jenny, London, ........

Jenny, let me tell you, a vast majority of the people that had their houses flooded in Witney were not living in a 'glamourous waterfront property', they were living in the centre of a cotswold town, somewhere near, or within a 5-10 minute walk away from a river that had never flooded to this extent before. The only exception to this were the poor schmucks that bought properties on an aptly named new site called ' Aquarius' that, if they had done their homework properly would have seen was build on a floodplain -apparently, locals that were aroung taking photos were chased off the site by an angry Sales Manager, saying the photos would damage any sales prospect they had.......I think the 4 feet of water lapping the doorsteps would have done that....

Stephanie, Witney, Oxfordshire, UK

Police called in after fights among customers in supermarkets over supplies of bottled water? Perhaps the louts involved should be paraded on television and shamed?

All it takes is some relatively minor alteration to normal life for the veneer of 'civilisation' to slip and reveal the brutal savage within.

It is not as if people were seriously threatened with death from dehydration: the 'threat' is as harmless as the slight inconvenience of having to boil potentially contaminated water to make it safe to drink.

Why not put the energy expended in unseemly supermarket fights into collecting drinkable rain water instead? There is plenty of rainwater available and it is not difficult to collect.

Jonathan Stiles, Helsinki, Finland

Jenny - that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard and incredibly insensitive to people who will be facing real financial problems as a result of all this.. My friends struggled to buy their first property in Reading last Autumn and it is no way a luxury waterfront property, it is an ordinary terraced house on an ordinary street. These floods reach far further than the waterfront. Presumably Jenny thinks my friends, who saved for their deposit and are now saving for their wedding, deserve what they get?

Alison, London,

Congrats to Zoe from London and other good hearted neighbors who want to help. Take it from an Iowan that has experienced several floods - here is what you do. Pack up a supply of cleaning mateials (especially bleach, sponges, towels, etc. (don't forget a good pair of boots)), go to where the flood is/was, find someone cleaning up, walk up and say ' may I give you a hand'. It's that easy. Don't look to the government - look to yourself, you'll see what needs doing.

Richard Street, Martelle, Iowa, USA

Peter, don't be silly. It does not help.

Phil Warren, Cheltenham, England

How did so called foriegners cause the torrential rain and flood ing -perhaps they have all been doing rain dancing .How incredulous -when natural disasters hit its planners and forecasters who should have been making preparations.,before ,during and after -too learn the lessons. But some of you will always find a way to blame innocent people.Climate change is a world phenomena and not exclusive to any one country.

Its a sorry state of affairs for everyone effected ,but lets not get carried away with the kind of bigotted comments that have no bearing on the causes of flooding.

HK, LEICESTER,

Back in the 1970's maps went out showing areas that would flod if global warning continued. This appears to be so as the area now flooded are very similar to those on the map. Developers continue to build on areas that were known for flooding and cause further problems by filling in ditches and other water channels. When are they going to learn that these ditches were placed there for a purpose not just because some one fancied spending hours digging them?

Margaret Potter, Chelmsford, England

How come the UK government *STILL* hasn't requested money from the EU flood relief fund (successfully claimed from by France, Roumania & others)?

It's about a month since the Yorkshire floods - and no claim was made.

Is the UK government just incompetent, or are they somehow afraid of claiming money WE have paid in taxes back from the EU even when we're eligible for it?

Ade, Wallasey, UK

this is all Al Gore's fault

bud, Cheyenne, Wy. USA

So how can I help? Can I volunteer? I have been to the CSV website, nothing about the floods. No news media outlets have mentioned anything about being able to volunteer and help people clean up after the floods. I have a long school holiday ahead and feel a duty to help, given that my home is on a steep hillside and is nice and dry. Just the other week I read an opinion piece in the Times bemoaning the lack of community responsibility and how no one volunteers any more - so tell me how, I'll prove you wrong! I'm desperate to help, if someone tells me how best to go about it.

Zoe, London, UK

I bet they're regretting buying their glamourous waterfront properties now.

Jenny, London,

Will this disaster be blamed on Global Warming, the Iraq War, or George Bush?

dilbert, lancashire, UK

Clive,I couldn't agree more! It beggers belief that umpteen "brown field" sites are lying derelict and not being redeveloped and new properties are despoiling our landscape,tarmacing over the earth so rain can't soak in the way it used to do and "should".
As for immigration....

Pixie, Glasgow, Scotland

Is there some way that households in non-flooded areas can offer shelter/accommodation to those affected? They did this in the US when hurricane Katrina hit and we should do the same to help those who are suffering.

CA, Manchester, UK

More people = More housing / Roads = FLOODS! And Gordon Brown is pledging 3 million more homes including some that will be built on flood plains. Madness! We are overpopulated and our infrastructure is in meltdown. It would be wise to slow or stop the influx of economic migrants and asylum seekers as a first step to reduce the pressure on the country and its services and infrastructure.

R.B., Leicester, Leicestershire

Yes, Clive Burghard, and we are currently experiencing a heat wave in our country due to the fact that BILLIONS of British are invading it and bringing their fish & chips along.
And if you are wondering why there are so many foreigners in your isle, then read a little bit about your own history (and I suggest that you read a bit about English grammar too).

Claudia, Barcelona, Spain

We are overcrowded. No other country keeps on letting people in when they have no room and their facilities are all stretched! Why are we allowing so much immigration? The rain's the same, it's just that we have buildings where there used to be fields. Our roads are jammed our health service is creaking, we are constantly getting terror alerts and threats. Aren't these enough reasons to close our borders? What's the agenda?

Karen Malin, Leeds, West Yorkshire

Is this a new phenomenon? Most nursery rhymes are based on some fact or other and I remember one which went;

Doctor Foster went to Glocester in a shower of rain,
He stepping in a puddle right uo to his middle,
And never went there again.

What's new?

Peter, Brixham, Devon

It does seem that the Govt has embarked on a 'cheap' way to solve the problem of our ageing populating via imigration. However, they need to add in the cost of the extra infrastructure. The 'ever increasing population' economic model needs to be addressed, because this can't go on. We need a workable decreasing population economic model which is sustainable.

Jeremy, Hassocks, West Sussex

Typical that there should be all this hysteria now that the waters have hit the south of England. I don't seem to remember Hull and South Yorkshire receiving this amount of hand wringing, or publicity, a couple of weeks ago.

Peter Nuttall, Leeds, UK

I remember summers as wet as this before, 1977 is the one that sticks in my mind because of all the ruined Silver Jubilee celebrations and the events around starting my job.
Summers in the 60s were often mild and damp.
I don't remember flooding like this however. I think all this talk of global warming is an excuse.
Mans footprint maybe.
The footprint that cut spending on necessities, NHS, defence, now it seems flood budgets. The footprint which encouraged extra people into the country, who all need homes. Building on sites that were previously empty - there was a reason they were left empty by previous generations.
Encouraging concrete, concrete, concrete.
Penny pinching instead of planning.
If a volcano opened up in Cornwall that would be unexpected.
Heavy rain in a British summer is normal.
No way should power stations be so vulnerable - this is heavy rain, maybe the heaviest rain since 1903 but not way beyond what can be expected.

Cam, Essex,

Global warming? HYPERBOLE! the earth has shifted on it's axis,check it out, airport runways have had to have their headings changed because they don't point in the same direction anymore.
As for the government,they are hell bent on flooding our tiny island with millions of foreigners and still want to build thousands of new homes on flood plains. Infrastructure is falling behind in every way possible as the population spirals out of control.

CLIVE BURGHARD Lancing West Sussex, LANCING, ENGLAND