Before the flood: how much longer will the Thames Barrier protect London? – the Guardian

The Thames barrier closure 8.15am Sunday 6 October 2013(by Chris Wheal CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).

The last time the Thames broke its banks and flooded central London was on 7 January 1928, when a storm sent record water levels up the tidal river, from Greenwich and Woolwich in the east as far as Hammersmith in the west. Built on flood plains, the capital was defended only by embankments. The flood waters burst over them into Whitehall and Westminster, and rushed through crowded slums. Fourteen died and thousands were left homeless…

Hemsby: How many other communities are at risk of erosion? – BBC News

Happisburgh, Norfolk(by Martin CC BY-ND 2.0 via Flickr).

Coastal erosion claimed three homes in Hemsby last weekend and a further two properties in the village are deemed at serious risk. Are there other Hemsbys along the coast and what can be done to protect the communities which live there?

The East Anglian coastline is no stranger to coastal erosion…

Beaches on Scotland’s ‘Hawaii of the North’ at risk after sand stolen – The Telegraph

The sands of Tràigh Baile a' Mhuilinn (by Rob Farrow CC BY-SA 2.0 via geograph.org).

With its stunning white crystal sands, it is known as “Hawaii of the North”. But beachcombers are said to be removing the famous sands of Tiree in the Hebrides on an industrial scale. Landowner Argyll Estates suspects sand is being “stolen” by “greedy” islanders under cover of darkness. Reports also suggest that it is “the more affluent residents” who are involved “so the reasons for this may not always be hardship but perhaps greed…”