A 16-page colour souvenir supplement, looking back at last year’s devastating floods, is being given away with the Kent and Sussex Courier.

But coupled with the 16-page pull-out is a scathing editorial column from editor Giles Broadbent drawing the readers’ attention to the fact there is still no flood strategy for the area.

His warning comes in a week when many areas of the country are experiencing floods for the second year running – and many more are on flood alert.

He praised local people who have turned their lives and businesses back on track.

But he said: “With one or two exceptions the authorities have weathered the storm less well.

“As usual with multi-agency efforts, every organisation, body and authority looks after its own patch with a degree of diligence but it is in the field of co-ordination that the cracks begin to show.”

A staggering 254 separate bodies are involved in the flood defence and planning procedures – which could give 254 different points of view.

“Over the past year the Kent and Sussex Courier has reported on the frustrations of residents trying to get a response – or, better still, money – from just a few of these organisations.

“Global warming and its attendant erratic weather isn’t going to go away. The risk of flooding isn’t going away. The population isn’t going away.

“The problem simply isn’t going to go away.”

The supplement One Year On charts the rise of the floodwaters last year and looks at how people are coping.

It examines state-of -the-art portable flood defence for one town and looks at the changes that have been made to prevent the river breaking through this year.

The rains this year have – so far – kept below critical levels in the Courier’s area.

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