HEREFORD'S would-be MP Jesse Norman has called for volunteer "flood squads" to be set up across the county.

The Tory hopeful spent much of his Saturday wading through ankle deep water in Newtown Road, Hereford, where he was helping swamped householders.

Now he wants to see that kind of effort made official with parish and neighbourhood flood squads on standby whenever rivers or watercourses threatened to spill over.

Flood squad volunteers could be trained to civil defence standards and serve as a first response and point of contact for both local people and the emergency services.

They would also mobilise to put up basic flood defences like sandbagging and help with clean up work, said Mr Norman.

"But the authorities also need to take a more comprehensive look at flood protection throughout the county. There's rightly been a lot of focus on the rivers, but the threat from smaller watercourses has shown itself to be just as great," he said.