Wheee!

December the fifth, we are told, is the new date for the fireworks in Llandudno.  They'll be set off as the end-piece of the Llandudno Christmas Parade which this year will see Santa wearing an aqualung in a sleigh pulled by eight dolphins.

Well, not really, but given the current state of the weather you could be forgiven for thinking that we're all going to be swimming towards Christmas this year. Llandudno and Conwy valley have a lot in common. Both are susceptible to flooding, although the latter only from rain and the former from storm surges and high tides.  Usually. In 1993, of course, Llandudno was flooded from a truly torrential thunderstorm, the very day when Carneades was trying to drive to a friend's house on Lys Helig Drive.

That was a very educative experience. Driving up from the West shore, the only way the road was navigable at all was to drive with one set of wheels on the pavement, whilst simultaneously attempting to dodge boulders being washed down the road towards us.  Walking round the ruined road the morning afterward, it became clear that there's a basic design flaw in the Marine Drive.

Most of the water fell on the Orme itself;  the actual cb cloud hovered over the Orme while disgorging four inches' worth that afternoon.  The water cascaded down the sides of the Orme, ripping out huge chunks of earth and rock and - on the North side - smashing through the drive wall in three places. Where it didn't manage to penetrate the wall, however, the water simply streamed down the road - using it like a giant gutter - until ending its merry slither in Llandudno. Had the Drive's builders considered the insertion of tropical-style flood drains in the drive wall, its likely that some of the flooding effects Llandudno endured, at least,could have been mitigated.

Trefriw has sustained a little flooding this past week or so, and residents are understandably peeved that the Environment Agency's defences have leaked. However, Canute notwithstanding, we're never going to be able to stop flooding. And with more people wanting to build homes on land that's designed to flood, the problem's only going to get worse.   Perhaps we need to look at a whole new approach to the problem.