Sir – Those of us who actually live in West Oxford breathed a sigh of relief at the news that a flood relief channel for the area was receiving Government funding.

Anyone who claims to be a ‘Distinguished Research Associate for Oxford University Centre for the Environment’ should be stripped of his post for the lazy claim that ‘losses in Oxford are really quite low’ and that ‘the river [which river, has he looked at a map and noticed various rivers in Oxford ?] shows no signs at all of increasing flood frequency, say from climate change’.

Those who live here know that, over the last 10 years, occasional mild flooding indicated by a few inches of water in the bottom of our garden for a few weeks at most, has turned into half the garden being under water for months.

This last year, the fields around were flooded from November through to March. Major flooding was prevented in February 2014 only as a result of skilful water management by the Environment Agency and city council.

Properties were not flooded because water was stored on farmland upriver and to the west of Oxford. Willow Walk and the adjacent ancient footpath were flooded and impassable for several weeks this winter and those of us who live here noted the incredibly high level of water in the fields behind, higher than we had ever seen and definitely higher than in 2007.

Finally, we have a proposal — let’s set up a house swap list somewhere so that all those who live elsewhere but would like to protest about the channel, can offer to come and live here. We would expect to see your correspondents’ names at the top of the list, of course. Or perhaps not.

Ann and Peter Furtado, Oxford