Boscastle river flood management

• Extreme rainfall: In August 2004, Boscastle experienced an extreme flood due to a month's rain falling in two hours.

• Relief: The area's steep and impermeable drainage basin exacerbated the flooding.

• Location: Located at the confluence of three rivers, Boscastle's geographical position contributed to the disaster's severity.

• The flash flood resulted in significant damage, sweeping away over a thousand homes, cars, and businesses.

To prevent this type of flood happening again, the environmental agency invested £10 million into several flood defences, such as:

• Widening and deepening the river channel - this allowed the river to carry more water.

• Removing low bridges and replacing them with wider bridges - this meant large amounts of water could flow freely underneath the bridge and the bridge wouldn't act like a dam (in the 2004 flood, vegetation and debris became blocked, creating the effect of a dam).

• Raising the car park and using a permeable surface - this allowed cars to be much higher and so they were less likely to be swept away.

• Tree management - dead trees were removed to prevent them being swept away, causing blockages under bridges. Land owners were encouraged to maintain vegetation and plant new trees.