David Cameron was warned last summer of the danger of the Somerset Levels flooding but the Government rejected a request to help fund dredging.
A farmers’ leader sent the Prime Minister a letter in August detailing the risk and insisting on the need for urgent for action.
Mr Cameron finally authorised the funding this week and sought to deflect blame for the delay on to the Environment Agency and its chairman, Lord Smith of Finsbury, the former Labour Cabinet minister.
Meanwhile large swathes of England and Wales are on flood alert today as yet another storm with winds of up to 70mph arrives to batter Britain.
The Environment Agency (EA) also highlighted the coastline of Devon and Dorset as being at “significant risk” of new