Last week's poll: UK infrastructure and extreme weather

Rail services were cancelled or run at restricted speed to prevent tracks buckling in the heat, but this anomaly was soon superseded by heavy rain that led to the Whaley Bridge dam crisis and yellow wind warnings issued across large swathes of the nation.

This volatile mix of weather, and its impact on the nation’s infrastructure, prompted last week’s poll which saw 42 per cent of respondents agreeing that there needs to be a complete overhaul of ageing infrastructure, followed by 28 per cent who think there should be more focused maintenance efforts. Of the remainder, just under a quarter (24 per cent) thought that technology – we suggested things like sensors, robotics and AI – should be used to mitigate risks, and the remaining six per cent opted for ‘none of the above’.

In the comments that followed, Chris Oates-Miller said: “If the predictions on weather are correct then basic maintenance will not be enough to stem the tide (sorry) of higher rainfall, hotter summers etc. The current housing plan for the UK should be scrapped as we will need the green space to act as flood plains and the trees to soak up CO2, houses and patios don’t do this!”