The problem could have been prevented if the Govt of 1952 that decided on the aiport's development and placing had foreseen:
> The big change to our climate
In fact if you look at the historical weather records from the Met Office, there has been no particular change to our climate; wet winters like this are quite common. Gatwick lies on Wealden Clay, so drainage is difficult. Normally during wet winters, the water will drain way into streams and rivers through the topsoil. But as Gatwick and the surrounding areas have expanded, the natural drainage has been replaced by vast areas of concrete and tarmac. The water runs off these areas into what topsoil is left, which can't cope, so the area floods. You are correct in that this could have been investigated and foreseen but that would have cost more money for complicated drainage systems and no-one wanted to pay.