Somerset lost control of the Levels and the floods of 2014 destroyed lives and led to a massive natural disaster. That’s the opinion of the local MP who said global warming is something we must all confront as a reality.

“We lost control,” said the Bridgwater and West Somerset MP Ian Liddell Grainger, “the Levels were designed to flood since the time of King Charles I and we lost control of the water levels and it caused immense damage to Moorland. Since then people have been struggling to get back their lives.”

He said getting the barrage built across the mouth or the River Parrett was crucial to ensuring the long term security of the Levels and it would allow the area to “go up to another couple of metres of water” in around 100 years’ time which was on a par with London’ s level above the sea.

Contrary to the doubters “global warming is something we must take extremely seriously” he said, because nature is “untamed.”

Will the barrage end the problems of floods and will it ever get built? Your views to harry.mottram@nqsw.co.uk