I am delighted to see that someone has come up with some realistic figures
for this. It annoyed me to see in the media 60 mm (just over 2 inches in 2
hours). It was damned obvious from this damage that it was much more than
this.
I would like Philip Eden to make something of this important issue in
his next column in the telegraph as I feel ( as I am sure other do ) that an
event like this is extremely important and significant.


Gavin Staples.

The hasty reporting of an inappropriate rainfall figure can hardly be
called an "important issue". The media thought they had to come up with a
figure so they grabbed the first one they got. That's what they do. And what
does it matter? I can't quite visualise the rescue services saying "2 inches
in 2 hours? - they can sort that themselves".
To the people of Boscastle the event itself will remain in their
memories for ever, but in a larger meteorological context it is not
siginificant. The south-west is known to be prone to these rare but devasting
downpours. Even the dear old Guardian has yet to attribute it to Global
Warming but I've got my beady eye on them.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.