My Secret Dartford

It might sound dramatic to liken Dartford to the Gates of Hades but this summer Dartford Heath and the marshes along the River Thames have truly paid a high price for  soaring  temperatures.  Along with other places in the country, we witnessed the unfortunate consequences of this on the local environment. To put this into context, the UK Met Office released its first ever red warning for heat. The two hottest days were 18th and 19th July with the highest temperatures reaching an unprecedented 40°C. It would be hard to argue in the face of this that global warming isn't real and it is worrying to see the profound impact at a local level. These photos were taken along the flood plain on Saturday 20th August.  You get some sense of the scale of the fire.   On Wednesday 24th, along with other areas of the country, a host pipe ban will be enforced  following the driest July on record since 1935. Sources: New Scientist - Climate change made UK  40°C heatwave at least 10 times more  like

Dartford Creek is one of the last remaining natural tidal creeks in London. It was built in 1981 to minimise flood risk from the Thames Estuary to Crayford and Dartford. There are two gates that travel vertically and are driven by a chain system. The gates are balanced by two water-filled counterweights. When they close, the barrier is able to withstand up to 7 metres of water above average sea level. Most of the time the gates are raised but when flooding is predicted by the Met Office both are closed. Raised embankments along the lower reaches of the Thames estuary also act as flood defences. Before the barrier was built Dartford flooded significantly  in 1953 and 1968. In the face of global warming should we be worried about Dartford flooding once more?  There is certainly a lot of new housing on floodplain and reclaimed marshland.  Take a look at this map and judge for yourself.  It shows the land projected to be below annual flood level in 2030.   Climate Central: Coastal Risk Scr