IN SEEKING to lay the blame for the recent terrible floods at the door of the European Union (D&S Times, Jan 8), Arron Banks, the co-founder of the Leave.EU group, demonstrates how desperate those campaigning for Britain to leave the EU have become.

After dismissing climate change as a factor in recent events, he goes on to lay the blame mainly at EU measures to protect the environment such as the creation of new wetlands.

On page 64 of the same D&S, an article by Mike Bridgen outlines the important part farmers can play is slowing the run-off of water to prevent “the likelihood of flooding further downstream”, something which is encouraged and funded under EU directives.

Dredging of streams and rivers, which is advocated by Arron Banks and other correspondents can, if done in the wrong way, make water run off quicker and make flooding worse. It is for such reasons that regulations exist to ensure dredging is undertaken in the right places Suggesting it is EU regulations which are preventing appropriate flood prevention measures is utter nonsense. More money certainly needs to be spent, but that is a separate issue.

As someone who lives on the banks of the Skerne, I am grateful that dredging has not occurred further upstream and that the wetlands between the A1 and East Coast railway line exist to soak up excessive rainfall and prevent Darlington being inundated by flood water in times of heavy rain.

Likewise, I wish the Durham Wildlife Trust success in their funding bid for the Brightwater project to enhance the entire catchment of the Skerne throughout County Durham. I wonder if Arron Banks will add this organisation to his ill-informed list of false-flood culprits, or does he just blame Brussels every time it rains?

Dr Andrew Newens, Darlington