"I'd say it's a good thing," says Craig Lockhart (left), gazing at his half-submerged back garden and beyond. "That's flood plain, so it's doing what it's supposed to. But it also stops people building on it, which is a big bonus."

A young father of four, he says the children know to keep clear of water when they are out playing and, besides, the garden doesn't get much use at this time."