YORK’S flood defences have secured £60 million to date and Cllr Andrew Waller has acknowledged these costs will continue rising (The Press, August 9).

Of course it will because, as the phrase flood defence implies, they are trying to fight against nature instead of working with it.

The way to stop York flooding is to prevent water entering the city in the first place.

The Jubilee river project showed this can be done with a man-made waterway for £110 million.

Over the next few decades we are going to spend at least this much on the current efforts desperately trying to limit the damage with barriers and reservoirs.

If the Environment Agency are going to burn this much money please do it on a project that solves the issue permanently.

Continuing as we are will result in a total bill greater than buying residents of the 2,000 homes at risk a new house further away from the river.

At that point we really would have to admit we chose the wrong solution.

Rainwater wants to reach the sea by the quickest possible route, give it an easy channel and if will flow happily to its destination.

Try to contain it and you face a never ending battle against it spilling over where you don’t want it.

Dr Scott Marmion, Woodthorpe, York