Petition: Build flood defences, not nuclear warheads

Once again we are seeing parts of England and Ireland underwater. It would seem the government has done nothing since last year's floods - or the ones in years before them to build up flood defences. The impact on people who have lost their homes is shocking and rarely publicised. Some homes can be repaired - but in the Lake District, entire caravan parks have been washed away. Will the people who have lost their homes receive any compensation? Possibly. But nothing can compensate for lost personal possessions such as correspondence of photographs, or the shock of seeing a home destroyed.

It concerns me that our government is still planning to go ahead and invest £100bn on renewing the Trident missile system to protect us against potential 'enemies' - yet they have not come up with any concrete plans to protect us from a very tangible enemy - winter storms.

I encourage your readers to sign the following petition:

"We urge Her Majesty's Government to cancel present and future spending on another Trident nuclear weapon system (estimated at £100 billion) and to spend some of the money saved now and in the future on coastal protection and inland flooding defences"

To sign the petition click here: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/UK_Government_Cancel_Trident_spending_help_flood_victims/

Alice Walsh

Carlisle