ADMISSIONS by Bradford Council that its response to last year's Boxing Day floods was inadequate will provide no comfort at all to those affected.

The fact is that residents and businesses in Stockbridge, Haworth and other parts of the district were to all intents and purposes, left by the local authority to fend for themselves.

Granted, the deluge was quite exceptional and it happened at the worst possible time, in the middle of the festive break.

However that is no excuse for the lack of help and support provided at the moment when people needed it most, as water cascaded into homes and businesses.

Where were the emergency council officers? Where were the supplies of sandbags?

If there was one positive to come out of the mess, it was the unbelievable community spirit demonstrated.

People came together in a wartime-like spirit, in a way rarely seen in recent times, offering what assistance they could.

Nine months on from the floods, some victims are only just getting their lives and livelihoods back to some semblance of what they used to be.

But understandably, as weather and climate experts warn of increased flooding occurrences in the future, people fear what may be ahead.

It is vital that Bradford Council heeds the lessons of last winter.