IT was with amazement that I read the letter from John Heslop (HAS, Aug 6) in which he refers to Gordon Brown as "one of the people responsible for the floods".

I would suggest that the only person who could possibly be held responsible in any way for the floods has his (or her) very existence debated at length on these pages.

No amount of money, and no one (not even Niall Quinn) could have prevented them. It's high time people realised that simply shouting for money won't prevent nature doing what nature does - it can't stop the rain and it can't stop the rivers rising, as the water has to go somewhere.

If you live in a low-lying area near a river, you're likely to get flooded at some time. It's why those areas are known as flood plains.

Paul Dobson, Bishop Auckland, Co Durham.