We can understand the anger of residents in Abingdon who have learned that no further work will be done to protect their homes from floods.

Despite carrying out a £110,000 feasibility study into different schemes to reduce the risk of future floods, the Environment Agency has said that it will not carry out the suggestions.

The only concrete result of the study, carried out after more than 600 homes in the town were hit by the floods of July 2007, has been a £50,000 project, which finished this month, to demolish a bridge.

There is clearly an existing flood risk in the town, but it is equally clear that the Environment Agency regards that risk as insufficient to warrant more extensive, expensive flood alleviation works in the town It also says that it will be carrying out ongoing maintenance to the watercourses in the town, but that is no more than we would expect the agency to do.

More significantly, the agency says that the feasibility studies in themselves are very expensive, which suggests that funding is the real reason why no more work is being considered.

The agency says that the ‘flood event’ of 2007 was extreme and ‘very rare’ and the risk of that happening again was lower than the agency originally believed.

That will be of little comfort to those who fear the upset and disruption suffered less than two years ago could return.