Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the Government’s emergency COBR committee today - the move follows mounting criticism of the Prime Minister’s response to major flooding in northern England.
Photo: Chinook helicopter dropping sand bags
Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn sent a letter to Boris Johnson yesterday asking him to “hold a COBRA meeting and take personal charge of the government’s response to the devastating flooding we have seen over the past few days”.
"With dozens of flood warnings still in place, I have to disagree with your assessment from the weekend that this is not a ‘national emergency.’ the letter says.
He has also called for the government to ensure “every resource is being utilised to aid those that need it and protect against future potential floods” and “that the insurance industry fulfils its responsibilities”.
Addressing the regional imbalance in funding for flood defences Jeremy Corbyn said: “If this had happened in Surrey, not Yorkshire or the East Midlands, it seems far more likely that a national emergency would have been declared.”
According to analysis by the Labour Party, flood response services have faced “crippling cuts under the Tories”, with frontline agency staffing numbers slashed by more than a fifth. The Environment Agency, which is a tier one responder responsible for preparing emergency flooding plans and responding when flooding occurs, has lost 20 per cent of its staff.
“The agency’s ability to respond to flooding incidents has been compromised by insufficient funding, with most incident response roles now filled on a voluntary basis by staff working overtime”, the Labour Party said.
The Environment Agency is continuing to work around the clock in incident rooms and on the ground to reduce flood risk and keep communities safe.
Image of chinook helicopter dropping sand bags, and a tractor with people standing by.
Serious ongoing river flooding continues to impact communities in parts of South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.
River levels are now starting to fall or stabilise in South Yorkshire, although the flood risk remains significant, with the lower River Don still experiencing high flows.
However, the Agency is warning that heavier bands of rainfall are also expected on Thursday and Friday, bringing a risk of further river and surface water flooding across flood-hit areas in South Yorkshire, North Derbyshire and West Lincolnshire, where river flows will remain high and ground is saturated.
The Agency currently has five severe flood warnings in place in South Yorkshire with a threat to life, 33 flood warnings and 89 flood alerts.
EA field teams are working 24/7 to clear debris from rivers, operate flood storage areas and pump away flood water.
A high-volume pump has been deployed to Fishlake to reduce water levels. In Lincolnshire, flood storage areas are being operated to protect 7,000 homes from the risk of flooding. An RAF Chinook helicopter was also deployed on Sunday 10 November to reinforce flood banks with aggregate in the Bentley Ings area of Doncaster.
Carol Holt, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
“Following a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours last week, five severe flood warnings remain in place on the River Don.
“Further rain on Thursday and Friday may bring severe impacts from surface water and river flooding to parts of South Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Minor impacts are expected more widely across parts of England during this period.”
“After the very wet autumn, rivers will respond quickly to further rain and the Environment Agency is planning for the impacts of further rainfall.”
“Our incident rooms remain open 24 hours a day and we are continuing to work closely with local authorities and partners.”