In 2014 the government was fiercely criticized after flooding in the country’s south. And as politicians begin returning from their Christmas breaks, the criticism is set to return.
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Tadcaster Bridge collapses, another victim of the floodwater
A historic North Yorkshire town has been cut in half after a 300-year-old bridge collapsed last night in a surge of flood water. There are now four severe flood warnings, 46 flood warnings and 81 flood alerts in place across England and Wales.
The report revealed that spending on maintenance of the flood defenses had fallen by 6 percent in the five years of Cameron’s coalition government, and overall funding fell by 10 percent in real terms, “increasing in future both the risk of floods and the potential need for more expensive ad-hoc emergency solutions”.
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Weeks of persistent rainfall has saturated the ground and swollen the rivers to record levels, leaving swaths of northern England, and smaller parts of Wales and Scotland, vulnerable. Several hundred flood warnings remain in effect.
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Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the area and some 3,000 properties are at risk from the rising water. 7000 homes were left without electricity in the Lancashire and the Greater Manchester area due to flooding.
Some 500 military troops have been mobilised to aid emergency services, with another 1,000 on standby should the situation worsen. It also said that hard-hit regions could be in line for special financial help.
Hinting at a rethink on the flood defences, he said, “As I say though, let’s have a look and see whether more needs to be done and whether the flood defences need to be made even higher than they are already”, he said. According to Environment Minister Elizabeth Truss, some rivers had spilt over their banks more than ever before.
Aviva’s Rob Townend said: “Any damage caused to property and belongings will be covered and if customers have to move out of their home, because it is uninhabitable, the cost of alternative accommodation is also paid for – and we can make arrangements for pets, too”.
“Following the 2007 floods, a lot of work was undertaken on flood defenses but clearly more can be done”.
Britain’s government has dispatched more troops to tackle “unprecedented” flooding in northern England which has forced hundreds to flee their homes, including in the historic tourist city of York.
Officials from the U.K.’s Environment Agency accidentally flooded the town of York while attempting to prevent damage to a flood-gate created to prevent the city from flooding.
A picturesque 200-year-old pub, The Waterside, in the greater Manchester area, collapsed, with part of the structure swept away by the River Irwell.
The Environment Agency urged residents to remain vigilant because more “severe” flooding was expected to continue today.
The agency used its Twitter feed to beg people to be cautious, tweeting that driving or walking in flowing flood waters could be life-threatening.
Rescue crews have been using boats to help remove people from their homes and, in some cases, from their almost submerged vehicles.
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While critics have claimed that his government has failed to take the threat to flood-prone areas seriously, Cameron told reporters that GBP100 million had been spent in low-lying Yorkshire since 2010. Utility services struggled to stay online.
