One of the police said on TV news - for heaven's sake, tourists don't stop coming to Cumbria... but the TV people were clearly horrified. The good story that we all want to hear is deaths, mayhem, disaster, misery...

The media know that is what we require. Bridges crumbling; rivers overflowing; danger; avoid everywhere; more rain coming...

Yet the truth clearly is that it's not as bad as portrayed; thousands are fine; life goes on.

But the hotels, restaurants, tourist spots will suffer incredibly if visitors stay away.

Those ramifications are less of a good story. Businesses dying, people losing jobs - all for a good story.

It's the truth I've been trying to point out in much more general terms. Everything is second to a good story. But many good stories can have terrible consequences.

JK - the storey here is a simple one. A river (or two in this case) cannot flow into the sea when the tide starts to come in.

Remember Boscastle/2004. With more water from heavy rainfall, the rivers will just back up, as happened in Cumbria.

The only solution? Expensive re-routing of many UK rivers with only one sea exit.

Well said JK...the message is 'Don't come to Cumbria...'

There's far more danger crossing the road, but I feel the newsrooms want the 'breaking' stuff...the tragedy...it's the 9/11 Princess Diana mindset.

No news...then make it news...and try and scare people.

Hence paedos behind every bush waiting to pounce.

It's why I love BR...because I think he's mostly spot on.

funny...I was thinking the same today as I read local Oz tabloid reports that basically said parts of the UK were underwater.

As I sat and sipped a cool champagne at the Polo in the Park in the stiffling heat.