Viewers of the popular morning television programme Good Morning Britain have erupted in fury, branding the show's recent coverage of widespread UK flooding as "totally irresponsible." The controversy erupted during the February 11th broadcast, which focused on severe flooding in Fordingbridge, near the River Avon, where a local park was completely submerged after the river breached its banks.
On-Scene Reporting Draws Immediate Criticism
Senior Correspondent Jonathan Swain was dispatched to the flood-affected area to report live. In a segment that quickly drew viewer ire, Swain was filmed standing in floodwater, explicitly stating, "I shouldn't be standing in water like this because I'm in somebody's garden." He went on to explain that rising river levels presented a similar picture across many parts of the country, highlighting the scale of the ongoing crisis.
"Wild Swimmers" Amplify Viewer Disapproval
During his report, Swain pointed out a group of individuals he described as "wild swimmers" who were entering the floodwaters in the nearby park for a swim. This visual proved particularly inflammatory to the audience watching at home. In the studio, presenter Ranvir Singh provided context, informing viewers that there were over 150 flood alerts and nearly 100 flood warnings active across England at the time.
The combination of a reporter standing in floodwater and the footage of people swimming in it sparked an immediate and vehement reaction on social media platform X. One viewer wrote, "That woman's garden is flooded and then you get some people swimming in the flood water. I think this is so insensitive #GMB." Another echoed this sentiment, stating, "So a piece on not going in flood water and you stand in flood water and show a group of absolute planks swimming in it!! Totally irresponsible."
A third commenter predicted dire consequences, writing, "Exactly they will be in hospital later methinks," while a fourth simply urged, "Don't swim in that water." The overwhelming consensus among the vocal audience was that the programme's approach was dangerously counterproductive, seemingly normalising risky behaviour during a severe weather event.
Clarkson Clashes with Tobin Over "Good News"
In a related weather controversy, television personality and farmer Jeremy Clarkson launched a withering critique at Good Morning Britain's resident meteorologist, Laura Tobin. This followed a social media post by Tobin, who shared what she termed "good news" stemming from the recent stormy weather that battered Britain throughout January.
Reposting an ITV weather report, Tobin highlighted that January had seen "record wind power," which reportedly cut gas costs by an estimated £164 million. The report, based on analysis by the think-tank Ember, detailed that the UK's wind turbines generated a monumental 10.6 terawatt-hours of electricity in January 2026, surpassing the previous record set in December 2023. This output was attributed to the consecutive storms Goretti, Ingrid, and Chandra, which caused widespread disruption but also drove turbines to operate at unusually high capacity.
Public Skepticism Over Financial Benefits
Jeremy Clarkson, star of Clarkson's Farm and known for commenting on weather impacts on agriculture, sarcastically replied to Tobin's post: "So to solve global warming, it’s best if we all freeze. Excellent." His skepticism was mirrored by numerous members of the public in the comments section. One user questioned, "Cut bills by (checks bill) nothing..." while another asked, "Who’s it cut the cost of gas for? Because it isn’t the end user, that’s for certain."
A third commenter pointedly stated, "Our bills are not going down, so where’s the good news in that?" and another concluded, "Awesome. So our bills are going down, right? Definitely won't just lead to a larger profit margin for the energy cartel." This backlash underscores a deep public distrust regarding whether reported savings from renewable energy actually translate into lower costs for consumers.
The dual controversies have placed Good Morning Britain under intense scrutiny, raising questions about editorial judgement during natural disasters and the public communication of complex energy economics. The programme continues to air weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX from 6am.
