We have – fingers crossed – escaped the worst of the bad weather that has been battering other parts of the country.

But that does not mean we in this area are immune to the effects of the heavy rains, as residents living on the road between Burley-in-Wharfedale and Menston, and the commuters who use this busy highway, found out to their cost this week.

Incessant rain coupled with a blocked drain caused problems on the A65, which were swiftly sorted out and the route became passable again within a few hours.

With experts saying that we must get used to more wet weather and heavy downpours, however, it does raise the question of whether our infrastructure is able to cope if such scenes become more commonplace.

Residents say flooding on this road has become a regular event and the drainage system is outdated and unable to cope with heavy influxes of rainwater.

Plans for more houses in this area will only put more pressure on an already-overstretched system. It is obvious that a lot of thought needs to go into how our communities will cope as population grows, more houses are built and traffic becomes heavier.

Much of our infrastructure dates back to a time when such expansion could not be envisaged, and needs to be brought up to date.

Maybe burglar has conscience

People who commit crimes are, of course, criminals second and first of all just people.

Which means they tend to live, apart from their illegal activity, much like the rest of us – and that includes keeping abreast of the news through reading, watching and listening to the media.

They also have people they love and care for and presumably, despite what their often cruel and thoughtless actions suggest, a conscience – an intuitive sense of right and wrong.

For recently-burgled Yeadon couple Andrea Robinson and Adrian Carter, who are appealing this week for the return of some irreplaceable photographs of their baby son Leo, those are encouraging thoughts.

Because maybe, just maybe, the individual responsible for breaking into their home last Sunday will hear about the appeal, listen to their heart, and arrange for the return of those precious images.

It’s a long shot of course but everybody – criminals, saints and the rest of us languishing somewhere in between – has the capacity to confound expectations, break a pattern of behaviour, and commit an act of unexpected goodness. We hope for Andrea, Adrian and Leo’s sake that that is what happens here.