flooding in the UK is it new?

Well the population keeps growing, so the weight of the people on the island is increasing, therefore the island is slowly sinking.
; )

Some parts of the UK flood every year, such as the Somerset levels.
Elswhere it is happening more often but there's a number of factors involved from poor land usage (building housing estates on flood plains etc) and bad management of waterways. Heavy machinery on farmland compresses the soil and causes runoff rather than soaking up the rain.

I have noticed locally here in the southwest that we only get torrential downpours or no rain at all. When I was growing up in the 70s and 80s we frequently got more fine misty rain we call "drizzle," but we dont't get it much these days.

I find the torrential downpours are really harsh here too, I am also in the southwest.