Army of snowmen could help slow the thaw 29th January 2013

Environmentalist Ben Furlong from Argyll Environmental in Brighton says that although the Environment Agency’s call for the public to build snowmen to slow the thaw has been much derided in the media, there is sense behind the suggestion.

"This risk of flooding may be particularly pertinent in urban areas where human activities increase the rate of snowmelt and older drainage provisions are incapable of managing high volumes of discharge," said Ben.

"The fallen snow acts as a reservoir of water simply waiting to discharge to local watercourses and drainage. However, sudden and rapid thawing can potentially increase river levels or overwhelm drainage systems resulting in flooding. Larger volumes of packed snow will maintain a lower core temperature and thaw over a longer period of time, therefore melting and releasing water over a longer duration reducing the peak discharge rate sewers and watercourses are required to handle.

"While the number of snowmen required to make a significant difference to the peak flow rate may be debatable, certainly any reduction in peak discharge may help reduce the demand placed on local drainage networks and subsequent risk of flooding."

So when the next round of snow arrives, England expects that every snowman will do his duty.