Are flood defences too late?

While flood defences have been working well in Bewdley, people in Bridgnorth were only able to watch as the River Severn burst its banks.

Something can be done to stop this happening again. The drains need to be dredged properly and regularly.

Amid the valiant efforts of some and the incompetence of others stand the politicians, inevitably blaming each other for the mess.

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We have the unseemly sight of Chris Smith, a former Labour minister, now head of Environment Agency, accusing ministers of playing politics and in so doing, scoring points against the Conservatives and the Coalition.

Here is something that will come as a shock to the politicians – people do not care what they have to say.

Unless it is about action that can be taken to immediately handle the crisis, all the rest of their rantings are just hot air (has anyone ever looked at the link between politicians' speeches and global warming by the way?).

At the moment, farmers are facing the loss of their crops and severe damage to their livelihoods.

The public purse is going to be severely hit by the costs of dealing with parts of the country under water, instead of having properly prepared for this over many years – both under Labour and the Coalition.

People's lives are at risk.

No one wants to hear excuses. They want action.

There will eventually be a need to look at the wisdom of putting partisan politicians in charge of such important public services in the first place.

But that is something that can be looked at once the water has subsided.

One of the things politicians can answer today, however, is the budget for overseas aid.

If the BBC had been beaming images of floods of the scale we have seen in Somerset back from another country, the Government would have immediately committed millions of pounds to help.

It is time that David Cameron realised that he needs to look a little closer to home first.

Precious gift of life from stranger

That adorable little grin says it all.

Margot Martini will get a vital transplant of bone marrow to give her a fighting chance of surviving leukaemia.

The 17-month-old, with her big eyes and red curls, has captured the hearts of a nation and saw 50,000 people respond to a campaign to find her a match.

She may well have not only found the way to save her own life, but others as well.

By drawing attention to the need for stem cell donors there will now be a greater awareness of the vital need for people to volunteer to help families in the same situation.

People can attend a swabbing day at The Mount Hotel in Wolverhampton on February 23 if they are prepared to offer to save someone's life.

The man whose bone marrow has been chosen for Margot is not a perfect match, but is considered by doctors to be an adequate one.

Margot's family will take that chance and run with it, knowing it is their best hope for her life.

Nonetheless, this unnamed individual has turned a potentially hopeless situation into one where an innocent child now has the chance to fight for life.

There can be no greater gift anyone can offer to a stranger in need.