THE staggering cost and scale of the clean-up operation facing Worcestershire is only becoming clear as the flood waters recede.

The damage left behind is remarkable.

Car dealers have had thousands of pounds worth of stock destroyed, a pub in Upton has seen a £250,000 refurbishment devastated, firefighters have pumped eight million litres of water from the centre of Droitwich, and Worcester's cricket ground and racecourse have suffered huge financial losses.

As we said yesterday, many people are facing months of misery.

For them, the water receding merely leaves them with an upsetting view of the harsh reality of life after the floods. Some have tough questions about the way the likes of the Environment Agency responded to the impending crisis.

We have sympathy with flooded residents of places like Upton and Hylton Road in Worcester and we understand their anger that flood defences were not deployed.

How much their deployment would have helped, given the eventual water levels, is a moot point.

But there is no doubt that the chaos that ensued last Friday night proved that flood defences must be stored in the towns for which they are intended. Lorries loaded with barriers but stuck in traffic are no good to anyone.

A thorough review is needed of the way in which the decisions to deploy flood defences are made.

If the answer is to erect them even if they end up not being needed then so be it. We would rather see money spent in such a way than witness more of the misery we have seen in the last few days.