On Monday afternoon, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles updated Parliament for the first time since Thursday, when he took over coordination of the government's response to flooding from Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, who was off work to undergo emergency eye surgery.

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150 properties in Somerset have been evacuated and many more have been flooded since Christmas, when the effects of extreme weather were first felt. Since then, concerted wet weather has let to villages being cut off and local authorities, charities and concerned neighbours having to pitch in to evacuate livestock from farms as floodwaters rise. Fresh flooding over the weekend has affected low-lying areas across Southern England, which experienced twice the average rainfall for January.

The Rivers Thames, Severn and Wye are set to flood in the middle of the week, as more severe weather is forecast.

Mr Pickles said military aid and funding for flood measures would continue and praised the work of community groups, local government, emergency services and Environment Agency. The Communities Secretary came under fire from several quarters on Sunday after apparently criticising the Environment Agency’s handling of the flooding crisis. Pickles' comments are understood to have created a rift between himself and the Environment Secretary.

Shadow Environment Secretary Maria Eagle questioned Mr Pickles in Parliament. She said it appears that, as the problem has begun to spread into areas of the South East, "there is finally a concerted effort being made to tackle flooding".

The Shadow Secretary accused Mr Pickles of launching his public attack on the Environment Agency after having "Spotted a convenient scapegoat to distract attention from the government's own failure." She added, "It was wrong to launch such a direct attack on the staff of the environment agency."

Ms Eagle also pointed out that, prior to his controversial statement on Sunday, in which the Communities Secretary had reiterated support for the controversial dredging project in Somerset and said "We thought we were dealing with experts" in reference to the Agency, Mr Pickles had praised the Environment Agency's work in an interview on Wednesday 5^th February.

The Communities Secretary was accused of avoiding Ms Eagle's pointed questions in his response, but when pressed denied "even the slightest criticism of the marvellous work of the environment agency." He continued, "This is a time for us to work together and not make silly party political points."

Environment Agency Chair Lord Smith hit back at Mr Pickles over the weekend, claiming that any shortcomings in the response to flooding have root in government cuts or restrictions imposed by the cost-benefit analysis the Agency is obliged to undertake. He said, "When I hear someone criticising the expertise of my staff in the environment agency that know hundred times more about flood risk management than any politician ever does, I am afraid I am not going to sit idly by."

Labour MP for Exeter, Ben Bradshaw was also highly critical of Mr Pickles' response to the Shadow Secretary. He said, "I cannot remember hearing a more complacent… response to a question." He added, "Why should anybody believe any of the promises he's making now, when he hasn't ever delivered in the past?"