PM visits flood-hit areas
Monday, 23 July 2007 12:00 AM
Gordon Brown has been visiting flood hit areas, with many parts of the midlands and south-west under water.
The prime minister visited Gloucestershire early this morning and viewed the full extent of the flooding from the air.
Mr Brown praised the efforts of the emergency services, after promising a coordinated response to the disaster.
Cobra, the government's emergency response committee normally convened in response to terror threats, has also met to discuss the flooding.
Ministers heard evidence from Tim Brain, the head of the Gold Command emergency response team in Gloucestershire.
A widespread area across Gloucestershire, Worcester, Warwickshire and beyond has been hit by flooding after the Rivers Severn and Avon burst their banks. The Thames is expected to follow suit.
Environment secretary Hilary Benn warned the disaster is not over.
He pinpointed the causes of the problem as the large amount of rain that has fallen out of the sky and insisted it would have been difficult to prevent last week's flooding.
He told News 24: "This was very, very intense rainfall, when you've got five inches in 24 hours, even some of the best defences are going to be overwhelmed."
The government has come under attack from opposition parties for not investing enough in flood defences.
Mr Benn denied claims the government has cut spending on flood protection. He said the capital budget for flood defence had been increased from £300 million to £600 million in the past ten years.
The Liberal Democrats accused the government of not being prepared for the summer flooding.
Leader sir Menzies Campbell has been visiting Hull, which was hit by last month's flooding.
He said: "There is no doubt that climate change is going to lead to more extreme weather in this country and the government has a duty to prepare for this and put in place plans to minimise the devastation.
"Yet last week there were no preparations put in place despite early severe weather warnings.
"The government must now give the overall responsibility for flooding to the Environment Agency, put a significant amount of investment in flood defences and learn the lessons from a natural disaster that has caused suffering to millions of families this summer."
David Cameron, whose Witney constituency has been hit by the flooding, called for concerted action.
The government needs to look at how to deal with floods, including coordinated action from the emergency services, he said. It should also consider hardship funds to help people who were not insured.
Despite warnings that flooding could become more routine, housing minister Yvette Cooper said the government would continue to build on flood plains.
Provided the "proper defences" are in place, some of the three million homes promised by Gordon Brown could be built in flood-risk areas, Ms Cooper said.
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