THE flooding really has been extreme, even in my constituency, which lacks major rivers and is far from coastal.

Before Christmas, as duty defence minister, I was involved in the government response process in Whitehall called COBRA, which sounds like something out of James Bond and much more exciting than it actually is.

However, I was able to see how we deal with disasters like the recent inundation and, without being complacent, it seemed to me that at each level the system works, rather better evidently than in many other comparable countries.

There will always be calls for more to be done and our flood response nationally and locally will be scrutinised to determine what we can learn and do better.

However, most people would expect preparations for extreme or rare events to be resourced in a proportionate way.

Near my home in Mere, the A303 was transformed into a river by rain water coming off the fields. It all seemed to happen very quickly and there was every chance of traffic not seeing the water until they hit it.

One of my neighbours had the good sense to position himself on the bridge spanning the road, waving his arms to warn the traffic, and may well have prevented an accident.

Definitely a local hero.

It may seem extraordinary given the continuous rain we’ve been having that people should want to set up solar farms in England.

Some land owners are looking at solar as a way of maximising value in non-prime agricultural holdings but their neighbours, fearing that acres of glass would present an eyesore, are often, and understandably, less keen.

As I have with onshore wind turbines, I would resist despoiling the countryside, although I hope sites can be found where solar installations will not be visually intrusive and will contribute to a reduction in our reliance on foreign oil and gas. Additionally, roof top installations on large factories and warehouses would be largely uncontroversial and it’s a pity they are not yet more widespread.