WE witnessed the awful damage water can cause last year when places as far apart as Hull and Tewkesbury were devastated by floods.

Many people are still struggling to put their lives back together long after the floodwaters, caused by torrential rain and high wind, have receded.

Some parts of East Lancashire also suffered, although on nothing like as grand a scale.

These experiences graphically illustrate how global climate change threatens us all unless proper precautions are taken. Today, the Environment Agency isn't tiptoeing around the problem. It is warning that in East Lancashire, flood damage could total £650million unless urgent work is undertaken to improve defences. And in the Burnley and Pendle area alone, the bill could run to £360million.

Politicians don't like committing themselves to any expenditure (because it has to come from taxpayers) unless they can be sure it will not cost them votes.

Until now, many might have been reluctant to spend millions of pounds on protection against a "maybe."

After last year's wake-up call, ministers will be very foolish not to ensure that we are all protected against such a foreseeable danger.