We have had four flood events in the Tyne Valley in five weeks.
(river levels so high that stormdrains cannot discharge into the river so roads and amenity spaces are flooded - one event was so severe that 44 dwellings were inundated and the occupants have moved out - some were rescued by boats having spent the night trapped upstairs)
Our problem is that raising the defences even further (they were raised 18 inches after the last flood ten years ago breached those defences) will result in the loss of the bridge (that survived the great 1771 flood that destroyed all other bridges on the river Tyne).
Loss of this bridge would mean no bus services connecting both sides of the river to the nearby town and the further city. The bridge is also a local crossing point for cars, vans and light trucks as well as pedestrians and cyclists. The shortest detour is ten miles.