"This historic photograph reveals how a lack of dredging has halved the width of a key river on the Somerset Levels.
The picture taken in the 1960s shows a wide expanse of water passing through Burrowbridge with plenty of room for water levels to rise.
But a matching image taken shortly before the recent floods reveals how silt and debris have gradually built up and extended towards the centre of the river.
The overflow holes in the sides of the bridge which were once above the water line now sit redundantly in the side of the banks, surrounded by grass and mud.
Critics blame the Environment Agency - which took over responsibility for river maintenance around 20 years ago - for failing to dredge regularly. ....
When a river is not dredged but has its flow constrained, it tends to carry silt that is deposited on the river bottom, slowly raising it. So river beds tend to rise over time making it gradually easier to flood.