Flooding has recently become extremely topical in the UK with good reason. Located in the north of Cumbria, we are only too well aware of the devastation and heartache flooding has caused in our own community.

Flood studies are routinely carried out by consultancies up and down the country, many of whom simply apply the recommendations of the Flood Estimation Handbook (FEH) without any understanding of the hydrology of the local river with which they are dealing. This may suffice for many flood risk assessment reports for planning applications; but each river is unique, and for those genuinely concerned about the possibility and risk of flooding the FEH assessment requires the nuancing of an experienced hydrologist.​​