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Britain: No End to the Flood Warnings

February 17, 2014

In parts of Britain it just hasn’t stopped raining. Entire regions in the south of the country have been under water for weeks.

https://p.dw.com/p/1BAYP
Großbritannien Überschwemmung in den Somerset Levels
Image: Getty Images

The flood victims blame the government in part for the situation, because in the past few years it's successively cut flood defense spending. The county of Somerset looks like a huge lake. Heavy rain on already saturated ground caused river levels in the Somerset Levels to rise by meters. Entire villages have had to be evacuated. The army has been deployed to lay out sandbags in order to hold back at least some of the water. The government is now considering applying for money from the EU's solidarity fund. The long delay in doing so is said to have its roots in domestic politics. Time and again British politicians have called UK membership in the EU into question.

Großbritannien Überschwemmung in Wraysbury
Image: Peter Kavanagh