Sir – While we are immensely grateful to the teams that look after us during flood events, claims that the damage can be reduced by relying on local defences, such as those here in streets off the Botley Road, rather than investing in the Western Conveyance ignore the widespread anxiety felt as flood levels rise around us.

They also ignore the sleepless nights, the huge investment in manpower needed to deploy and man temporary defences, pumps and sandbags (used once only, then ripped apart to recycle the sand), thoughts of even more insurance blight and the turmoil caused by possible, impending and/or actual evacuation.

The psychological impact of spending any length of time being protected by temporary defences which could fail at any time, as was proven when the pump at the end of the street shut down, should not be underestimated.

The benefits of a passive scheme which will, for the most part, look after itself as well as us shouldn’t be either.

Nick Hills, Resident, Earl Street, flooded 2000, 2003, 2007, Oxford