Liberal Democrat Sally Hamwee is a member of the Flooding Investigative Committee on the Greater London Assembly, which has been set up to determine the real risks to London and the adequacy of current measures in place to protect the capital. The Committee will look at the four main categories of causes and risks of flooding in London:

• Fluvial - there is a clear risk of fluvial flooding (river flooding) in London; a recent example was the River Roding.

• Tidal - the Thames Barrier prevents any tidal flood damage to London. There have been 65 emergency closures of the Barrier since it was completed in 1982 up to 2000, but in 2000 the Barrier closed 24 times.

• Sewers - capacity constraints of London's infrastructure, particularly its Victorian sewers, can contribute to flooding.

• Surface water - excess surface water is a common problem in many areas of London.

The first meeting of the Flooding Investigative Committee will take place on 12 March.