More severe weather this week is set to exacerbate flooding, which has begun to affect more easterly regions with the rivers Thames and Severn bursting their banks last week, and heavy rains showing no sign of letting up.

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Downpours are set to cover much of England and Wales in coming days; the Met Office has forecast the strongest winds of the winter so far, which will rip across Northern parts of Wales, Southern Scotland and North-West England on Wednesday, affecting coastal regions in particular. In some areas, a month's worth of rain is expected to fall over the next few days. This follows on from exceptional wet weather in January and December.

Across the South, flooding continues to cause major disruptions. The Environment Agency announced that more pumps had been deployed earlier this week in Somerset, where infrastructure has been badly affected, and 1,000 homes near the Thames have been evacuated.

1,600 military personnel have been drafted in to help, according to the Prime Minister, mostly in the South East, where the gravest danger remains. There are still 16 severe flood warnings in force across Southern England, indicating a potential danger to life in two areas of the South-West, and 14 along the River Thames.

More flooding likely in South-East

During a Cobra meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on Tuesday, Environment Agency chief executive Paul Leinster said water levels could rise further on the Thames, potentially causing flooding at Oxford and Maidenhead between Wednesday and the weekend. The Thames barrier was closed again on Tuesday to protect London and the surrounding area. A fifth of the barrier's closures since its inauguration in 1982 have occurred since the beginning of December.

Leinster later added in a statement, "Our hearts and sincere sympathy go out to those who have already experienced flooding. Our teams will continue to work around the clock to protect lives, homes, businesses, communities and farmland over the coming days."

He continued, "Stormy weather will continue to threaten communities this week, with further flooding expected along the Thames in Berkshire and Surrey.  River levels are high across south west, central and southern England, and further rain has the potential to cause significant flooding. I urge the public to sign up to our receive free flood warnings, check their flood risk, and keep up to date with the latest situation on the Environment Agency website."

Farmers from around the country have been helping their colleagues affected by flooding, from rallying together to move livestock threatened by rising waters to organising donations of fodder. In a show of solidarity on Tuesday, workers at Melton Mowbray cattle market collected donations of hay and straw and auctioned a lamb for the benefit of those in flood-hit regions. The group also arranged for free transport for the donated fodder with local hauliers.  

Met Office warns of challenging conditions

The Met Office warned on Wednesday that further heavy rainfall and strong winds of up to 100mph could be expected in parts of the UK. 15-25 mm of rain are expected to fall on areas of Southern England, though up to 40 mm could fall on higher ground in south Wales and southwest England, "much of this within a 12 hour period," forecasters said. Forecasters warned that "the cumulative effects of these weather systems are likely to exacerbate the current flooding situation."

High winds may cause structural damage, bring down trees or lead to further power cuts, officials said. More large waves are also expected in coastal regions. On Tuesday PM David Cameron said that money would be "no object" in efforts to avoid or repair flood damage. He announced £10 million in support for farmers affected by flooding.

Calls for an end to finger pointing over flooding

The Environment Agency has this week hit back at attacks by politicians and some in the media, objecting to its use as a political football.

Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary who has taken control of the government's response to flooding in the absence of Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, came under fire in Parliament on Monday for apparently derisive comments made about the Environment Agency and its chair Lord Smith over the weekend. Faced with direct questioning, the Communities Secretary denied having attacked the Agency at all.

In a letter to The Sunday Times sent this week, the Environment Agency's Board Members said "We are deeply concerned that previously high morale is now being undermined by media and public attacks, directing blame for problems outside the Agency's control at our Chairman, our managers and our staff. Those who are helping to protect lives, homes and businesses need support, not constant and corrosive criticism."

Over the weekend, Lord Smith fought back against government and media criticism, claiming "The Environment Agency is bound by the rules laid down by government." He said that government cuts and a mandate that every £1 spent on flood defence must generate £8 'benefit' were behind a perceived shortcomings in flood defence and water management efforts.  

A number of experts have sought to vindicate the Environment Agency, stating that, given the amount of rainfall, flooding that has been seen in Somerset and now along the Thames would be "impossible to protect against." Expert hydrologists maintain that this is what communities can come to expect as climate change worsens.

On Friday, Met Office chief scientist Julia Slingo announced at a press conference that evidence suggests recent flooding can be linked to climate change. Since then, absent environment secretary Owen Paterson has come under fresh fire for his reputed climate scepticism; one anonymous ministerial source this week said of the embattled Defra Secretary, "He isn't climate sceptic, he's climate stupid."  

Although he didn't explicitly mention climate change, opposition leader Ed Miliband this week accused the Coalition of failing to act to mitigate or protect against extreme weather. He said the government has "got to take the problem seriously." Mr Miliband also called for an end to "finger pointing" over responsibility for the crisis.