In the Netherlands, much of which is below sea level, we have not had a single square metre of flooding since 1953 (‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how climate crisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk, 31 January). In that year, a storm surge erupted in the North Sea, engulfing much of East Anglia as well as the Dutch province of Zeeland. The Dutch built the Delta Works to fix this; the English did nothing.
Years of investment in land reclamation and flood-defence experience were brought into play. The Netherlands handles the delta/distributaries of two of Europe’s greatest rivers – the Rhine (Rijn) and the Meuse (Maas). I live five metres from a major inland waterway and the level does not change. My cousin lives in Somerset (twinned with Atlantis) and is already on his third flooding of 2026.
