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| UK floods: Environment Agency boss hits back at Pickles | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith has said he will not allow ministers to question his staff's "expertise and professionalism" as the political row over the floods crisis escalates. | Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith has said he will not allow ministers to question his staff's "expertise and professionalism" as the political row over the floods crisis escalates. |
| He was responding to claims by Eric Pickles that ministers had been given bad advice over river dredging. | He was responding to claims by Eric Pickles that ministers had been given bad advice over river dredging. |
| The communities secretary said the agency had also tried to divide town and country over funding. | The communities secretary said the agency had also tried to divide town and country over funding. |
| The BBC's Norman Smith said there was an "ugly blame game" going on. | The BBC's Norman Smith said there was an "ugly blame game" going on. |
| Our correspondent said there was an increasing rift within government over its response to the widespread floods across England, with ministers attacking each other and appearing to be at "sixes and sevens". | Our correspondent said there was an increasing rift within government over its response to the widespread floods across England, with ministers attacking each other and appearing to be at "sixes and sevens". |
| 'Grandstanding' | 'Grandstanding' |
| The BBC understands that Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has complained "in the strongest possible terms" to the prime minister about what he calls Mr Pickles' "grandstanding" in an BBC interview on Sunday. | The BBC understands that Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has complained "in the strongest possible terms" to the prime minister about what he calls Mr Pickles' "grandstanding" in an BBC interview on Sunday. |
| Mr Pickles suggested the government relied too much on Environment Agency advice and "made a mistake" by not dredging the flood-hit Somerset Levels earlier. | Mr Pickles suggested the government relied too much on Environment Agency advice and "made a mistake" by not dredging the flood-hit Somerset Levels earlier. |
| He also gave lukewarm support for Lord Smith, the embattled former Labour minister heading the Environment Agency, saying he would "not wear a T-shirt saying save Lord Smith". | He also gave lukewarm support for Lord Smith, the embattled former Labour minister heading the Environment Agency, saying he would "not wear a T-shirt saying save Lord Smith". |
| In response, Lord Smith told BBC Radio 4's Today he had no intention of resigning and said the agency's response had been dictated by Treasury rules on how much could be spent on individual flood defence schemes. | In response, Lord Smith told BBC Radio 4's Today he had no intention of resigning and said the agency's response had been dictated by Treasury rules on how much could be spent on individual flood defence schemes. |
| "When I hear someone criticising the expertise and the professionalism of my staff who know a hundred times more about flood risk management than any politician ever does, I am afraid I am not going to sit idly by," he said. | "When I hear someone criticising the expertise and the professionalism of my staff who know a hundred times more about flood risk management than any politician ever does, I am afraid I am not going to sit idly by," he said. |
| "The agency is bound by the rules that are laid down by government. When someone says they followed the agency's advice, what they were actually doing was following the Treasury rules which are laid down." | "The agency is bound by the rules that are laid down by government. When someone says they followed the agency's advice, what they were actually doing was following the Treasury rules which are laid down." |
| Lord Smith said he had received backing from Mr Paterson, who is currently recovering from eye surgery and whose role co-ordinating the government's response has been taken over by Mr Pickles. | Lord Smith said he had received backing from Mr Paterson, who is currently recovering from eye surgery and whose role co-ordinating the government's response has been taken over by Mr Pickles. |
| Defending the agency's approach to dredging swollen rivers, he said the body had stumped up £400,000 last year for the Somerset Levels - "the maximum amount the Treasury rules allowed us to do" - but the government and other organisations had not provided similar sums to enable the work, estimated to cost £4m, to go ahead. | Defending the agency's approach to dredging swollen rivers, he said the body had stumped up £400,000 last year for the Somerset Levels - "the maximum amount the Treasury rules allowed us to do" - but the government and other organisations had not provided similar sums to enable the work, estimated to cost £4m, to go ahead. |
| Speaking later to BBC Radio 5Live, he added: "I will apologise for probably not having done enough to twist arms with county councils, district councils, drainage boards and others in order to come to the table along with us to get those funds on the table for dredging last year. | Speaking later to BBC Radio 5Live, he added: "I will apologise for probably not having done enough to twist arms with county councils, district councils, drainage boards and others in order to come to the table along with us to get those funds on the table for dredging last year. |
| "We should have done more to persuade people". | "We should have done more to persuade people". |
| The BBC's environment analyst Roger Harrabin said had been told that the environment department was furious at Mr Pickles' intervention. | The BBC's environment analyst Roger Harrabin said had been told that the environment department was furious at Mr Pickles' intervention. |
| However, Downing Street refused to say whether any complaint had been transmitted, but said the prime minister was happy with the way Mr Pickles had done his job. | However, Downing Street refused to say whether any complaint had been transmitted, but said the prime minister was happy with the way Mr Pickles had done his job. |
| Former Floods Minister Richard Benyon has also praised the work of the Environment Agency after it was strongly criticised by Ian Liddell-Grainger, the Conservative MP for Bridgwater. | |
| Mr Liddell-Grainger suggested Lord Smith's head should be "flushed down" a toilet but Mr Benyon said his colleague's comments were "silly". | |
| Meanwhile, Labour has accused ministers of "neglect" and ignoring local warnings about the need for dredging | |
| "Ministers have done nothing but dither and delay throughout the winter flood," said shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle. | "Ministers have done nothing but dither and delay throughout the winter flood," said shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle. |
| Water industry professionals have pointed out that the Environment Agency had a statutory responsibility to protect life before property and property before farmland, and this was not at officials' discretion of officials. |