IT won’t come as a huge surprise to many of you to discover that this year could be one of the five wettest since Met Office records began in 1910.

Torrential downpours have brought with it pain and misery for thousands of people just trying to get out and about.

And the bad news is more flooding is set to be on the way before the year is over.

It now seems we are as ill-prepared for heavy, prolonged bouts of rain as we are for snow and ice.

Motorists trying to get round parts of Dorset yesterday were better off with a canoe than a car.

When a dry spell finally emerges, whenever that is, the relevant authorities need to look at key areas for improvement so that roads which constantly flood are made passable except in the most extreme of circumstances.

Unfortunately, we may need to splash a bit of cash.