WITH the serious floods in Yorkshire over the Christmas period and with the extensive damage caused to homes, local infrastructure and businesses the government is going to review – among other things – the practices of building properties on flood plains and other vulnerable locations.

As the government stops to think, surely its time for Dorset to halt the Vearse Farm building project. This is a blatant case of ticking boxes, fulfilling quotas regardless, while failing to look at the evidence stacked up against building in this location.

With predictions of warmer and wetter winters our councils cannot continue to behave like ostriches, it's time to think outside the box and long term, the idea of pumping water into big holes that will be released to the sea when conditions are suitable is not a solution but proof the developers realise flooding in the Vearse Farm location will happen!

Should this vanity project go forward the only people to benefit will be the developers – already reducing the numbers of affordable homes as new infrastructure schemes are demanded – while the costs of property damage and flood control will pass to the council and be borne by taxpayers who will once again have to pay for the mistakes made by the council.

Chris Cherry West Walk West Bay Bridport