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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Katy Clifton

'You took your time': Boris Johnson heckled by residents of Yorkshire town hit by devastating floods

Boris Johnson has been heckled by residents in Yorkshire who were forced to evacuate their homes on his first visit to the area since it was hit by devastating floods.

The Prime Minister arrived in Stainforth, one of the worst-hit areas, as nearly 100 soldiers began assisting cut-off communities.

One woman helping the troops with her wheelbarrow refused to talk to the Prime Minister, claiming he had "not helped us".

She said: "I'm not very happy about talking to you so, if you don't mind, I'll just mope on with what I'm doing.

"You've not helped us... I don't know what you're here today for."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson talks with a local woman pushing a wheelbarrow (PA)

Another said: "You took your time. Where have you been?"

Personnel from the Light Dragoons laid down sandbags, attempting to shore up the village’s bridge.

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The help comes amid fears that further bad weather could be on the way on Thursday, with the Met Office issuing a yellow warning for rain for the whole day covering a vast region from Portsmouth to Hull.

There are 34 flood warnings still in place across England, in locations from Somerset and East Sussex in the South, to as far north as the Lower River Nidd near Harrogate in Yorkshire, and the Holderness Drain in east Yorkshire.

Seven flood alerts are also in place in Wales, where the Met Office is predicting further heavy rain on Wednesday.

But five severe “danger to life” warnings on the River Don in South Yorkshire have been downgraded.

On Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister warned there could be further flooding across the country after chairing a meeting of the Government’s emergency committee.

Boris Johnson walks with Lt Col Tom Robinson from the Light Dragoons and Oliver Harmar, Yorkshire Area Director of the Environment Agency (PA)

Mr Johnson also announced relief funding would be made available for those affected by the floods and said that funding for locals councils to help affected households would be made available to the tune of £500 per eligible household.

Up to £2,500 would be available for small to medium-sized businesses which have suffered severe impacts and which are not covered by insurance.

The PM also urged people in affected areas to heed the warnings of emergency services, after some residents in Fishlake remained in their homes despite being advised by Doncaster Council to evacuate.

The announcements came after both Labour and the Liberal Democrats criticised the Government’s response to flooding, which is rapidly turning into an election issue.

Listen to today's episode of The Leader here:

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