Villages must take steps to prepare for, respond to and recover from unpredictable threats like floods and terrorist attacks, according to Gerry Richardson, the district's emergency planning officer, in a presentation to the parish council on June 19.

Langford has been flood-prone in the past. Outlining the local authority's responsibilities to help businesses and residents prepare, Mr Richardson urged the council to recruit volunteers to run a rest centre at the village hall, in the event of an evacuation of local homes.

He also suggested local families complete plans so that every householder knows what to do in the event of an emergency. Further details can be found at maldonresilience.info Turning to the more immediate threat of a business park development in the centre of Langford village, the council welcomed the local action committee's success in getting the proposal thrown out at a recent district planning committee meeting.

The parish council undertook to review its tactics in the light of any appeal by the developer. It noted that the action committee was drafting plans to continue its fight to ensure the appropriate use of the former water works site, a designated conservation area.

The council considered domestic planning matters and reviewed recently received correspondence, including a request that bus shelters carry "no smoking" signs from July 1.

The meeting ended with a call for volunteers to join the community vehicle speed watch scheme, which has had significant success in cutting speeding through Ulting.

With more volunteers sparing a few hours a month, much more could be done to tackle the threat posed by reckless driving through the villages, councillors agreed.