So here we go again. A day of rain, and the floods are back.

It never seemed to be like this in the old days.

Then, the rain simply drained away, and life continued as normal.

Yet now we get a downpour which lasts a few hours, and some areas are under water.

It isn't as if there has been a deluge of water - the rain which has fallen over the past 36 hours has been persistent, but steady.

Even when the rain stops, of course, that won't be the end of the matter, certainly in places like Oxfordshire.

All the rain that has fallen in the Cotswolds will be heading this way via the Thames and its tributaries.

The worst may be yet to come.

The question many people will be asking is - have we learned any lessons from previous floods?

We have certainly had plenty from which to gain experience in the last decade.

The truth is that while we may be better prepared to deal with flooding when it happens, we still have a long way to go to prevent flooding in the first place.

It is time to start praying - again.