IN the 1800s, railway engineers had the technical ability to construct lines over tens of thousands of watercourses, ranging from massive rivers to small drainage culverts.

By 1969, mankind had developed the technical ability to put a man on the moon. Even as recently as December 2012, Network Rail agreed they had the technical ability to “install hollow sleepers to house temporary pipes to be used during future floods”.

Sadly, during the intervening two years, we appear to have regressed rapidly and massively to the point where we are incapable of even routing a pipe under the railway at Norton while it is closed for maintenance.

I wonder if Network Rail merely forgot (or perhaps conveniently forgot) their promise to install such a capability for routing pipes under the line. As a nationalised company, perhaps they will struggle to find enough taxpayers money to carry out essential work to avoid some of the said taxpayers being repeatedly flooded while pumps are stopped twice an hour to let trains past.

Network Rail’s area manager Mark Tarry trots out the usual management-speak about minimising disruption followed by the “health and safety” trump card about limitations on the location of hollow sleepers. I think we deserve a much more comprehensive and detailed response.

Perhaps our MP Anne McIntosh could make further inquiries on behalf of the Norton residents and businesses that are being denied such a simple and relatively cheap aid to flood alleviation.

Mike Potter, Pickering