Regulatory lessons from the summer 2007 floods

During June and July 2007 the UK suffered flooding on a scale that had not been witnessed since the tragic events of 1953 when large areas of the coastline of eastern England were inundated resulting in upwards of 300 deaths. The 2007 flooding was less catastrophic in those latter terms but neverthe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Water Law 2008-01, Vol.19 (1), p.20-32
Main Author: Stallworthy, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:During June and July 2007 the UK suffered flooding on a scale that had not been witnessed since the tragic events of 1953 when large areas of the coastline of eastern England were inundated resulting in upwards of 300 deaths. The 2007 flooding was less catastrophic in those latter terms but nevertheless offered worrying portents as to future vulnerabilities. In contrast to what were in 1953 caused by coastal breaches, the 2007 summer floods resulted from mostly surface water, and to a lesser extent river flooding. The floods followed a long period of wet weather culminating in extremely high rainfall compressed within two short periods of time. In places, monthly rainfall was exceeded by around fourfold on 24-25 June 2007 and even sixfold on 19-20 July. Most widespread flooding occurred in the city of Hull and across parts of Gloucestershire, although significant effects were felt in and around the city of Sheffield and within the Thames Valley. The scale and harmful consequences of the flooding can be seen in the loss of thirteen lives, with flooding of around 44,000 homes and 7000 business premises.
ISSN:1478-5277