Further frustration at the apparent lack of action since the floods of 14 months ago has been voiced again this week.

Residents at Burwell Meadow, Witney, are still waiting for a blocked drain and culvert to be cleared, the main culprit causing their homes to be flooded in July 2007.

No one really knows when the next bout of serious flooding is going to happen.

Excessive downpours and flash floods, it seems, might occur at any time, regardless of past climate patterns.

That is the real point raised by people in Burwell Meadow, where more than 50 homes were flooded and where some residents have only just moved back in after repairs. And it is no surprise that insurance companies are reluctant to provide further cover until the culvert and drain are cleared. No one expected the severity of the floods in Oxfordshire in July 2007.

But we have said a number of times since, that if there was a clear message that emerged, it was a wake-up call that regular maintenance of watercourses and infrastructure had been neglected and needed to be revived.