Floods in Gloucester: No water!

Well, now that the floodwaters have subsided, its time to think of what we endured for a couple of weeks and why.
There is no doubt that the volume of rain was unusual. That does not excuse some of the problem encounterd by the public. Blackout....OK not a big deal, but to loose the water supply for two weeks is inexcuseable. If you have ever travelled the M5 in Gloucestershire after a few days heavy rain, you will have seen how the River Severn regularly bursts its banks. The question is,"Why build a water treatment plant here with in-effective flood defences?" or "Why were additional flood defences not in place before the forecast heavy rain hit?"
The emergency services and the army did an outstanding job during the crisis, but Severn Trent water have a lot to answer for. Already they have publically said that consumers will receive no compensation. Bloody cheek. They should be accountable for their customers loosing an essential utility. Thats what we pay our bills for! No doubt they will find some way to recoup their "losses" from the consumer by hiking future bills. The industry watchdog need to keep a close eye on future charges.