Express & Star comment: Lessons must be learned from floods

In the West Midlands on Sunday there was more rainfall in a few minutes than would usually have been seen in the entire month of May.

In parts of the country thunderstorms more readily associated with tropical climes were striking.

It was the latest example of the wild weather conditions we have experienced in Britain this year, and follows on from 'the Beast from the East', which saw temperatures plummet and snow pile up back in February.

And just like then, our infrastructure has not been up to the standard required to deal with the storms we have seen this week.

There is no easy way to cope with flooding, but questions must be asked about whether our defences are up to scratch.

Planes have been grounded and diverted, roads were blocked for hours, there were widespread power cuts reported, and homes were flooded.

Tragically, an elderly man lost his life in Walsall after the vehicle he was in was submerged.

If there is a lesson to be learned from all of this, it is that the authorities need to look carefully at the mechanisms that we have in place to deal with inclement weather.

One question that must be answered relates to the amount of cash that goes into our flood defences.

The Environment Agency £2.5 billion flood investment programme is geared towards minimising the impact of heavy rainfall, but the bulk of this funding is focused on coastal towns and resorts.

When a conurbation such as the West Midlands is hit with flash flooding, there appears to be little response.

In years gone by local authorities spent millions improving drainage in an effort to restrict flood damage.

Sadly, with years of budget cuts behind them, such investment has been put on the back-burner.

Undoubtedly, it is time for a rethink on this issue.

There are circumstances when to some extent, we are all at the mercy of the weather conditions.

But we must make sure that every possible precaution is taken to preserve public safety.

If Britain is unable to deal with extreme weather conditions, then people will start to wonder what they are paying their taxes for.