Risk of disease.

[KateLMead]

I have seen no mention of the risk of diseases that can and will be caused due to sewage seeping into householders homes.
It does not bear thinking about.
Also following the devastation of the countryside the farmers crops will be ruined. And animals will have to be slaughtered. Hence the costs will fall onto the public.
I take my hat off to that good old "British Bulldog Spirit" that has raised our Union Jack High. When push comes to shove as we are seeing we get our backs in and support each other.
Sad that the damned useless Clegg and his Liberal twits, Miliband and his left wingers and Cameron
Can't just get on with the job instead of trying to score points.

[Kaz]

I do take your point Kate, but actually over in Staines the local council, on their website, has been telling people NOT to touch the water, to wash hands frequently etc, so I think there is some basic awareness..........

You are right about the spirit being shown, there is a LOT of pulling together and people helping each other out - I am seeing it on Facebook as well as on the news

[moondancer]

I don't think Cameron is trying to score points as much as Miliband.

He always has to moan about absolutely everything the Tories do.

All parties should pull together at this time, politics have no place here.

[Diflower]

There's been a fantastic job done just in the last day to try and protect Winchester. They've made huge flood barriers to slow/contain the River Itchen, and more barriers surrounding the city.
This was done by the Fire service and the Navy, but it must have originated/been co-ordinated by politicians, whether national or local.
They're not doing nothing, but in a lot of places there is hardly anything that can be done.

The local radio has certainly been warning of the risks of disease in floodwater, for several weeks.

[Workingman]

There was a piece on the news about the sewage and disease......

A sample of the flooded Thames was taken from a garden It was placed on a Petri dish primed with a suitable growth compound and incubated in perfect conditions for an appropriate length of time. When it was checked, lo-and-behold, it was found to contain bugs associated with faecal matter!

But hang on. This is not some equatorial village whose only water supply is a contaminated well and medical help is a two day trek away, this is Staines-under-water in winter. Nobody normally goes down the the Thames to partake of its waters, why should they now? There are, so I am told, alternatives to be found in taps and bottles.

Yes, having raw sewage in the flood waters is a health hazard and it is wise to get yourself cleaned up asap, but that would be the sensible thing to do when coming out of any river, pond, lake or the sea.

[KateLMead]

However Frank, the drinking water is likely to be contaminated , it is unlikely that the bacteria will Be contained and found purely in the floods.

[Workingman]

No Kate, the tap water is isolated from the flood waters as much as it from the soil and air at normal times. Once water is taken from reservoirs and filtered and treated it is pumped in a closed and pressurised system. It can and sometimes does burst out, Thames Water is good at allowing that, but it would take a hell of a depth of water to create enough pressure to burst in.

[debih]

One thing that has really confused me with this whole flood thing is the criticism to the powers that be for not pumping the water away.

Where exactly would they pump the water to? If the rivers are bursting their banks and flooding the surrounding area, then what do you do with all the excess water. You can't pump it back into the river can you?

I'm not being sarcastic here - I genuinely do wonder where they are expected to remove the water to.

[pederito1]

Typhoid or Cholera would be ALL they need. What about the poor swans and ducks, they have no options.

[cromwell]

I don't think Cameron is trying to score points as much as Miliband.

He always has to moan about absolutely everything the Tories do.

All parties should pull together at this time, politics have no place here.

I agree. Miliband is like one of those irritating yappy small dogs that won't shut up.
Politics don't have any place in this but it will be used for political advantage. Miliband has been on again today criticising the sandbag politcy of the government.
Funny thing is, when Miliband was buttonholed by one irate lady earlier this week as to what he would do, specifically, all he could say was how much he agreed with her, how (my God) "lessons should be learnt" and people should accept responsibility.
But concrete statements about what he would do? Not a word.

This isn't just a dig at the labour party; most modern politicians seem to be cut from the same cloth.