THE review of the summer flooding, published by the Environment Agency yesterday, contained few surprises for those living in the city.

It basically advised those unfortunate enough to live in areas prone to flooding to brace themselves for more chaos, because relief is years away.

The agency claimed Oxford was in desperate need of flood protection, but that our historic city was difficult to work with.

That may be, but the sickener for those affected by the July floods is that help appears as distant as ever.

No solutions are contained in the report and although the city was at risk of future flooding, it was not seen as a priority case so funding could not be guaranteed.

As has become almost customary in these situations, the people of Osney Island - just one community affected by the summer flooding - have wisely decided to get on with the job themselves.

They have shown how little effort it takes to get things moving on the ground by erecting a so-called Dutch sausage in East Street, just one of the measures residents can use to guard against rising waters.

And they were instrumental in bringing a flood fair to the city where scores purchased an assortment of equipment to protect their homes.

The headlines from the report were that a large-scale scheme to protect Oxford would cost at least £150m, with work not starting until 2015. In short, a lot of huffing and puffing - but no real action on the ground.

History tells us that homes have been flooded three times in the past seven years.

Sod's law suggests that with relief at least seven years away, there are likely to be three more incidents.

While the authorities appear to have their collective fingers in the dyke, it is left up to individuals to better protect themselves.

What we need is action, not words.