I am writing this in utter disbelief at the impact on York of the recent Environment Agency’s flood relief work.

Last summer the riverbank downstream of York was raised by at least a metre, stretching from the Terry’s site all the way to the A64 bridge near Bishopthorpe.

This has effectively reduced York’s downstream flood plain to a fraction of its former capacity, meaning the river will rise faster, more frequently, and drain far more slowly.

Does this constitute “joined-up thinking”, with all of York’s flood policy geared to protecting the city’s homes, businesses, and the tourist industry, relying heavily on the large undeveloped green areas to act as an absorption buffer to gradually fill and release flood water?

By raising the bund over a metre, the water has to back up into York! It is imperative this is rectified immediately, or come the next prolonged period of rain in our catchment area, the city’s defences will breach, as the water has now nowhere to go.

Maybe the pressure of lost business to all the waterside pubs, combined with the inabilty of Christmas shoppers to enter York will force a rethink of this “flood relief” work before it’s too late.

S Bishop, St Oswald’s Road, York.