I had planned a completely different photo for this week but the lousy weather and other commitments have combined to scupper my plans. Instead my picture this week is one grabbed during the few hours of sunshine that we did get during the recent Bank Holiday weekend.

This photo was taken outside the New Continental pub looking back up the River Ribble towards Avenham/Miller Park. As you can see from the picture the water levels were fairly high as a result of all the rain and this got me thinking about how serious the risk of flooding is in this area.

An Environmental Agency report from 2009 provided the answer. It describes a ‘very high risk of flooding’ with 2,300 properties at risk in Preston. The report points out that the Ribble has a history of flooding with the most significant event being 1866 when widespread flooding occurred. More recently, in 1995, a number of properties were flooded in Preston and Walton-le-dale.

Paul Melling [Paul Melling Photography]