In the hours before floods swept through Cumbria, the heaviest rain ever recorded in Britain fell on a hamlet in the county. Philip Eden unpicks the unique combination of factors which made this happen. 1. A 'conveyor' of warm, very moist...

  When people talk about the impact of rising sea levels, they often think of small island states that risk being submerged if global warming continues unchecked. But it's not only those on low-lying islands who are in danger. Millions of...

  November 2009 flooding

The Olympic Park can today boast its first completed venue (assuming we're not counting an electricity substation as a venue). It's a viewing platform built from shipping containers, in the best Lea Valley tradition. The brightly coloured protuberance...