Scientists have urged the government to consider the full impact of global warming when drawing up plans to protect Britain from flooding.

A study from the Met Office's Hadley Center predicts that river levels will rise higher than anticipated because existing computer models do not take into account the effects of climate change on plant life.
In a warmer world, say scientists, less water will be drawn up by plants, causing greater flows into rivers like the Thames and the Severn, which burst their banks last month bringing chaos to large parts of England.
The study results, published today in the journal Nature, show that, if carbon dioxide emissions go unchecked, climate change and its effect on plants will have increased river flow by 13% in Europe over the course of 300 years.
""Current impact assessments will need to be reworked,"" said Richard Betts, the climate scientist who led the research.
The study comes weeks after floods swept through several areas of the UK. Although the water has receded, thousands of people are homeless or living in the dirty shells of their houses.
""It's been terrible,"" said Mr. Jasper, a 50-year-old decorator from Gloucester. ""The insurance company has been hopeless. We've been living in horrible conditions while we wait for them to tell us what's happening. It's affecting my health and my partner is off work because of stress."" Finally this week a surveyor gave him the go-ahead to start hacking away at his walls. ""At this rate it will be next Christmas, never mind this, before we are right,"" Mr. Jasper said.
Next door is empty. It is the home of 89-year-old Gladys Davies, now living with her daughter, Eunice Mann. It is not clear when, or if, she will be able to move back in. Like many of the most vulnerable people caught in the floods she did not have insurance. ""We haven't dared bring her back here. I don't think she could bear to see what's happened,"" said Mrs. Mann.
The death of one elderly woman in the street has already been blamed on the shock of returning to a wrecked house.
Figures seen by the Guardian show the scale of the problem as Gloucestershire and Worcestershire try to recover from the biggest floods on record.
Gloucestershire county council estimates it will have a bill of between £50m-£55m. Fixing up damaged roads, footpaths and bridges will cost £25m alone, an entire year's budget for the highways. Almost £3m will be spent on repairs to 53 schools in the area.
Private companies have also taken a hit from which many will not recover. The flooding directly affected 500 businesses and another 15,000 suffered after their water supply was turned off for a week. There have been visits by ministers to the county but the perception is that little money is coming through. So far, £2.5m has been made available for district councils to pay for recovery from the floods and £600,000 has been handed over for schools. But the council has yet to meet the Department for Transport over the massive highways bill, and fears some roads that were seriously damaged will stay shut for the foreseeable future.
(Source: Guardian