• published: 10 Feb 2014
• views: 121

Flooding: Now thousands more face evacuation as 14 severe weather warnings are issued for Thames with 'significant threat to life' Severe warnings for the banks of the Thames stretch from Datchet in the west to Shepperton, Surrey There are now two current severe warnings in Somerset, where 5,000 homes have been flooded in recent weeks Met Office says storms will batter Britain until the weekend as scientists claim climate change is to blame Ukip has called for foreign aid money to be diverted to help flood victims in the UK But Eric Pickles insists response in Somerset does not need the extra cash Thousands more home-owners were warned they may have to evacuate as the flood crisis spread to the Thames last night. The Environment Agency issued severe warnings -- meaning water levels pose a 'significant threat to life' -- to 14 areas along the river, with the deluge expected to be worse than the devastating floods of 2003. The agency urged people in at-risk areas to 'stay in a safe place with a means of escape' and to be ready to evacuate. The severe warnings for the banks of the Thames stretch from Datchet in the west to Shepperton, Surrey. By contrast, there are just two current severe warnings in Somerset, where 5,000 homes have been flooded in recent weeks. Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles provoked fury by claiming the billions spent on foreign aid has helped prevent flooding in Britain by tackling climate change; Forecasters warned that storms will continue to batter Britain until the weekend; The warnings include Chertsey, where a seven-year-old boy died on Saturday; Three large pumps had to be brought in from Holland to help clear the Somerset Levels as a desperate battle continues to save the town of Bridgwater and the M5; The Ministry of Defence put another 1,600 personnel on six hours' notice to help in the South if needed; More than 50 soldiers were deployed to battle rising waters around Burghfield power station in Berkshire amid fears it could be swamped, cutting off power to 40,000 homes in Reading and Oxford. The Environment Agency said severe warnings were used only when flooding 'poses a significant threat to life'. A spokesman added: 'This is the most serious warning we can give so there is a high risk of properties flooding and the possibility of evacuations.' The 14 warnings along the Thames include Ham Court and Chertsey, where Zane Gbangbola died on Saturday. Zane's father Kye Gbangbola, 48, had complained last month about the lack of action to tackle the floodwaters. He is believed to have used a petrol pump in a desperate attempt to clear the water from his house, which he shared with Zane's mother, Nicole Lawler. Police are investigating whether carbon monoxide fumes from the pump were responsible for Zane's death. His parents were being treated in hospital last night. Neighbour Anoop Hothi blamed Zane's death on inadequate reactions to the floods. He tweeted: 'The whole system has failed the UK, especially with the tragic loss of Zane Gbangbola. 'No-one should be left to their own measures like they have all over South England to overcome devastating flooding. Such a tragic loss.' Floods have also spread into the Midlands with warnings that large parts of Worcester city centre could be closed for a week, the county council said. Rail passengers between London and Kent face disruption because of a landslip between Swanley to Rochester. But despite the mayhem, a senior official at the Environment Agency has hailed its performance as a 'success story'. Director of operations David Jordan said: 'We need to recognise that 1.3 million other properties would have flooded if these flood defences had not been built. That is the success story.' His comments came as Somerset flood victims launched a petition, calling for agency chairman Lord Smith to be sacked. They are infuriated by the Labour peer's refusal to apologise for the devastation caused by his quango's decision to stop dredging rivers on the Somerset Levels. Butcher Malcolm Pyne, from North Petherton, near Bridgwater, who organised the petition, said: 'To come down and see what devastation has been caused and then to try to defend and even praise the Environment Agency was tantamount to laughing in our faces.' Meanwhile, it was claimed yesterday that foreign aid spending could ease global warming-linked extreme weather in Britain. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said that if global warming is true then the Government's 'sustainable aid' could have an effect on the UK's situation. He dismissed the UK Independence Party's call for foreign aid money to be diverted to help British flood victims as a 'populist hit'. Mr Pickles added that the response effort in flood-ravaged Somerset did not need the extra cash. Ukip leader Nigel Farage had said it was 'basic common sense' to suspend international aid while the country was dealing with the aftermath of recent extreme weather.