Cockermouth would be better served with a lot less short term destructive building ruining the town on the business cheap, paid for by the people if the River Authority put in some flow capacity and storage and delays upstream, two large lake systems and steep hills. It is much easier to prevent flow in small amounts off land and reduce that confluence to large flows, but then the people are paying for that which is a UK government and River Authority obligation in law 1947 and 1963. A small design engineering for permanent long term result and not at public personal cost. The same probably applies to the others, it is not the quantity of finance it is the way it is spent, but then that should have been enacted properly between 1979 and Cockermouth disaster and frankly the residents should sue HMG for the damages and the Conservatives in particular. But then it is easier to push small people around with statistics than it is to do some work is it not ?
After all the businesses were the ones that blocked the two river passages and usually so continue to do as well as adding to flows in flood runoff in short term urban wash, mostly mucky.
I would not want to be surrounded by a Blair Paris Steel Toilet industrial resolution however temporary and it is time rivers were set free and better engineering arranged to enhance the landscape as well, that way people could reach the river instead of falling into it or littering from dangerous elevations.
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And freezing rain is very common in England Wales and Scotland.
Still not my problem anymore and I should think most engineers will be glad to have retired with this Politic continuing, that is that they did during John Gummer paid off people and never finished the work.
Rats! basically is the best comment.
MD Stagg BScWales Hydrology

Good reading on this webpage, especially the downloadale documents at the bottom of the page:
http://scotland.wwf.org.uk/wwf_articles.cfm?unewsid=2578

The recently introduced Scotland Flood Risk Managements (Scotland) Act 2009 has actually enshrined NFM into law. It is now a must consider and use technique for local councils when they investigate flooding and flood prevention schemes.

It is good to see so many agencies in England taking this important technique onboard. Holding back the water and slowing the flow can make all the difference. Unfortunately it isn’t a panacea so we’ll still need to use lumps of concrete and bricks in more traditional big civil engineering works to protect communities.

Will be following your NFM investigation and plans.