Floods damage people as much as property

In the latest in his series examining ideas of place and pathway, Will Gore recalls a fear of rising water

Flooding in London in 2007 was a source of much distress (Getty)

Rarely can a flooded village have had such an apposite name as the currently benighted Fishlake.

The coincidence of the River Don overflowing during an election campaign means the flood’s consequences are seen by the rest of us through the prism of politics as much as of personal loss. No wonder those affected have given visiting party leaders generally short shrift. They just want to get their homes and lives back. The weather forecast, which doesn’t look promising, is of more significance than any appearance by the prime minister.

In my childhood, the river which ran through our village burst its banks a couple of times, overcoming the flood defences which had been built during the 1960s. The Dog and Duck pub, and the cottages close to it on the High Street, bore the brunt.