THE recent events in the northwest serve as a timely reminder of the destructive power of water and, by association, the folly of building on a flood plain or water meadow, be it for a supermarket on Southampton Road or a housing development on Britford Lane.

Added to this, as the Journal reported recently, the Environment Agency is in discussions with Stanhope plc on whether the proposed redevelopment of the central car park and the Maltings will present an increased risk of flooding locally or further afield to other properties and businesses in Salisbury. Carlisle and its environs had millions of pounds spent on flood defences after the last disaster in 2009 and the water just went round them or over them.

JUSTIN SMITH Salisbury