Flooding used to be a once in a generation event, but tragically that is no longer the reality.

It's been heart-breaking to hear from families right across our towns and villages who's lives have been turned upside down by flooding over the last month.

I'm incredibly grateful for the emergency service, council workers and local volunteers who've gone above and beyond to help those impacted by the floods over recent weeks.

From town councillors rushing to help families on Bridge street in Shefford, to local residents pulling together their own action groups, to the fire fighters who went above and beyond on Woolgrove road in Hitchin, you've shown the very best of our community in incredibly challenging circumstances.

It's clear the flooding has highlighted a number of challenges that have been allowed to linger for far too long. Working with local councillors and representatives, I'm determined we put that right.

Locally, it simply can't be acceptable that so long after the flooding, families in Hitchin are still waiting for answers about how and when sewage will be cleared from their properties.

This hasn't been helped by the wide range of agencies with partial responsibility for flooding, creating a maze for residents to navigate and all too often allowing the impression to build that problems are passed between bodies rather than grasped and solved.

As your local representatives we're keen to put this right, which is why we've been pulling together meetings of local stakeholders to ensure more joined up thinking, and highlight the wide range of challenges you have been raising with me and my team.

I know this will be of little comfort to those who are still waiting for their homes to be cleared and to have confidence that robust actions will follow, but I can assure you we will not be letting up until action is taken.

From communication to coordination, it's clear, going forward, there are a number of learnings from the local response to flood events that stakeholders need to take on board.

It's clear given the sheer volume of rainfall that some flooding may have been inevitable. But when this coincided with issues from possible river blockages to long blocked drains, residents are understandably left wondering how much better things could have been.

That's why it's vital there is a robust multi-agency investigation into the cause of flood events locally, ensuring transparent answers about their cause and a clear plan of action to tackle contributing factors.

This shouldn't be used to justify inertia in the meantime though, and I will continue to join local representatives to push for action where obvious issues might have exacerbated flooding challenges.

I know, understandably, many are worried about what the winter months might bring, but I want to reassure everyone that we will continue working closely with district and county councillors to push for the comprehensive follow-up actions our community needs and deserves.

While I remain focused on doing all I can locally, it's clear we must also press for national action. The persistent flooding issues we face are, in part, are a consequence of the last government's failure to prioritise long-term flood prevention.

In parliament I raised these concerns and highlighted the impact it had had on our communities. I urged the DEFRA Secretary to ensure a coordinated, multi-agency response after floods, but more importantly, to commit to long-term mitigation efforts.

We are determined to fully prepare our community for the future, so the devastation we've seen from flooding never becomes our new normal. In the meantime, I want to make clear that if you have been affected by the flooding, my office and I are on hand to do all we can to support you.

Please do get in touch by emailing: [email protected]