The problem is that our dams here in the Peak District ( and I suppose most others) were built by the Victorians nearly 200 years ago and are mainly composed of earth and stones and clad with pretty looking pieces of masonry. They start off many metres thick and taper until they just a couple at the top. very little investment has been made other than plugging the odd leak, so this was bound to happen, and as long as we keep building on flood plains it is going to get worse. Our town, amongst other, was badly flooded a few years ago, so they improved our flood defences. How? By scraping out the river and brook and lining then with stone setts, so now the water flows rapidly straight through and on to the next poor souls down stream. I agree that things have in recent years got more difficult, but in many cases we are the creators of our misfortune as far as the flooding goes