h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have concerns that a country known almost worldwide for rain and general bad weather continues to flounder in the face of storms. A couple of days rain seems sufficient to overpower even the simplest things like street drainage. I appreciate that weather patterns have, over the last several years, become increasingly unpredictable, but the relationship between 'rain' and 'Britain' is nothing new. Considering the amount of money paid to councils and utility companies - can simple water management be so very hard to pull off without a hitch?