Landslides in the East Midlands

Great Britain is not a country renowned for its large landslides. It lacks the extreme climatic events and the mountainous regions that are associated with catastrophic landslides events elsewhere in the world. Nevertheless, landslides in Britain do have significant societal and economic impacts. Meteorological Office statistics have shown that 2012 was the second wettest year since collation of national records began in 1910. Tragically, this also saw the highest number for many years of fatalities due to landslides, including those at Burton Bradstock in Dorset and at Looe in Cornwall. Even so, these landslides contrast with recent events in China, in Afghanistan and in Washington, USA, where large and calamitous events claimed many lives. However, landslides are common enough in Great Britain, and there is currently a heightened awareness of these geological hazards, and this was largely due to extensive media reports in 2012 and 2013.