WE in Worcester have become used to the river Sever bursting its banks on a regular basis and by and large we accept it as an act of God that we simply have to live with.

But the flash floods that swamped hundreds of homes in the city last July were different - because they were almost entirely man-made.

We're not talking about the changing weather patterns that dumped several inches of rain on the city in a few hours - although climate change may well lead to more such freak' rainfall in future.

The problem is in the design of our towns and cities that prevents water from flowing away as fast as it falls from the sky.

Of course, water is bound to collect in any built-up area, simply because asphalt is not absorbent like earth. But that water eventually finds its way to the sewers and watercourses designed to take it safely away.

It's only when we experience the amount of rain that fell last July that the inadequacies of that drainage system are exposed, and what should be a puddle becomes a flood.

Luckily, a man-made problem has a man-made solution, and Worcester City Council should be commended for looking systematically at where the bottlenecks are and working out how to deal with them.

Whether the problem is sewers that are too small or watercourses that become blocked too easily, work is in progress to ensure that the great flash flood of 2006 is not repeated.

The next time there's a downpour on the same scale, the residents of Blackpole Road, Cotswold Way, Commandery Road and dozens of other Worcester streets will have reason to be grateful the council took such decisive action.