Somerset levels

• River parrot has not been dredged for 20 years
• More farmland - intensive use of the land means it is less able to retain water
• Atlantic storms rainfall and gale-force winds


  Was the primary cause of flooding
• 62 pumps were used
• 600 homes were flooded and 16 farms were evacuated
• £1 million was lost by local businesses
• Somerset floods cost the county's tourism industry an estimated £200 million
• Over 10 million spent on the flood damage
• Nine hundred litres of fuel was stolen from a pumping station
• There were also reports of heating oil and quad bikes being stolen from homes affected by flooding
• The scheme is part of a 20-year plan for the Somerset Levels and will total £100 million.
• crime increased during the flood as people were more likely to steal