Newsletter #13 (February 2026)

DIRTY BUSINESS

Dear all, 

If you had to make a series like Dirty Business about flooding, how would you do it? 

I’d start this month, in an office of the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government where, in a meeting, the minister and some aides would be deciding to make it easier to build in flood risk areas in the middle of a climate crisis. 

Someone in the room would explain that all would be fine, as the developers would have to prove that their plans are safe. 

You could then cut to a flood action group running an investigation and realising that thousands of homes have gone up in their area without anyone checking anything. You would see them getting bounced around from RMA to RMA, being offered ever more implausible explanations, and persevering. 

You would see various officials and companies explaining with a large smile that we shouldn’t try to stop flooding but to live with it. They would be told, ‘we can’t build our way out of this’ and that their role is to turn nervous energy into something positive. (That is a real quote). 

I really could go on, but I imagine you get the point. And I am not joking, I’d much rather hear from you about how you would complete this. I am happy to publish it in the next newsletter. 

Many flooded people have written to us about Dirty Business because they have lived, and continue to live, through something that feels very similar. The harsh reality is that UK flood management is not nearly as different from the content of this drama as it should be. 

It has been a difficult month with sustained flooding in the South West. It has been a hopeful month for some, with a historic success for Ynysbwl. It has been an extremely frustrating month for many others. 

If you usually flood in the winter, I hope you can look forward to some rest. If you don’t, please be assured that we’re not letting our guard down. We are preparing to support groups with some very exciting projects, always pushing forward. 

You inspire us every day, thank you, and well done. 

In solidarity, 

Louis