Blindness and Flooding

One of the less well-known consequences of flooding is that it can cause blindness. That's especially true if you're an owner or  manager of grouse moors. Residents living near Hebden Bridge are sure that it's the management of nearby Walshaw Moor for grouse shooting that helps to cause flooding problems in the nearby valleys. Needless to say the grouse industry is too blind to see this.

All the moors to the west of Sheffield are also grouse moors. You only have to look at their predominantly artificial and treeless aspect to understand that. If nature had its way they would be mainly wooded  - and therefore more water would be retained in the higher parts.

Sheffield's Flood Protection Consultation ends on Monday. Those who've not responded have only a couple of days to do so (and don't forget there's an hour less on Sunday).

Sheffield Wildlife Trust has already responded to the consultation and you can see their response on their website. I found it rather well written and a number of excellent points are made. Enough to surpise me at least. There's a big 'but' however, as might be expected, an omission so great that it confirms the diagnosis that being responsible for our uplands causes blindness in respect of flooding, probably wilful blindness. Despite it being obvious to commentators across the country that we need far more trees in the highest land, SRWT does not advocate this. In fact, as we've constantly complained over many years now, Sheffield Wildlife Trust cuts down trees when it should be planting them, and manages a largish tract of grassy land with sheep - a known contributing factor to water run off and, potentially, flooding downstream.