FLASH flooding by its very nature is an exceptional event. It happens from time to time when meteorological conditions and geography form an unholy alliance.

So Spectator thought it somewhat surprising that an Environment Agency spokesman should suddenly start churning out references to climate change and how this sort of occurence would be more frequent in the future.

Whilst the facts about climate change, global warming, call it what you like, may be hard to argue with, it seemed a bit premature to be saying this is how it's going to be in the future. We have always suffered from flash floods. It may be that we are in a period when we are experiencing more than at other points in our history.

But it is not very helpful or comforting for those dealing with the aftermath of what happened on Sunday for a government agency spokesman to say, in summary: "This is how it's going to be. Live with it."

Town's eyesore

IT'S become a cliche that you get a better view of the scenery from a bus or a train than from a car. What you see, though, can count for a lot.

One of Spectator's colleagues, travelling by bus between Bedale and Northallerton the other day, while his car underwent its MoT test, was saddened to see that the grass on the little patch of lawn in front of the railway station serving the county town of North Yorkshire had become so long and unkempt, with not a summer bedding plant visible.

A far cry from the time, not so long ago, when conscientious station staff kept it nicely trimmed and even brought plants from home for the border.

Worse still was the condition of the former station house, a substantial building fronting Boroughbridge Road, which presents a terrible picture of broken windows and general decrepitude where even Norman Bates, of Psycho infamy, would probably be ashamed to live.

The house is now thankfully up for sale and let us hope for a speedy completion and refurbishment. As it stands, it presents a disgraceful spectacle which Northallerton can do without.

Just words

"ABOVE all, the EEC takes away Britain's freedom to follow the economic policies we need," - Tony Blair, Labour candidate for Beaconsfield, 1982.

"We will negotiate a withdrawal from the EEC which has drained our natural resources and destroyed jobs," - Tony Blair, Sedgefield election address, 1983.

"I voted for Britain to remain in the EEC in 1975 ... I have no doubt at all that the future of my country lies in being at the heart of Europe" - Tony Blair, speaking in Bonn, 1995.

"I have always believed in Europe" - the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, on almost any news broadcast you tuned into at the end of last week.

Plus a change. And it doesn't stay the same.