Bit Wet in Blighty, Thames Breaks it's Banks.
Thousands of homes in southern England are bracing for flooding after the River Thames burst its banks, with forecasters warning more bad weather is expected.
Authorities say lives could be at risk, with water levels along parts of the river reaching their highest levels highest since gauges were installed in the 1980s and '90s.
The country's Environment Agency has issued 14 severe flood warnings in the affluent counties of Surrey and Berkshire, to the west of London.
The military has been brought in to evacuate properties and build defences.
Some areas are already under water, including parts of the Great Windsor Park, near Queen Elizabeth II's castle at Windsor, which itself is built on higher ground.
London is protected by the Thames Barrier, although the southern suburb of Croydon announced plans to divert rising floodwaters away from properties by pumping them into a pedestrian underpass.
Parts of south-west England have been under water for weeks after the wettest January since 1766.
Forecasters at the Met Office say the run of winter storms, which have brought heavy rain and strong winds and seen high waves batter the English coastline, has been "exceptional in its duration".
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But there has been a growing tide of criticism at the official response, which has erupted into a full-blown political row.
Many people in Somerset, one of the hardest-hit counties in the southwest, blame the devastating floods on the failure of the Environment Agency - a government body - to dredge local rivers.
UK communities minister Eric Pickles has joined the attack, suggesting the government "perhaps relied too much on the Environment Agency's advice" on flood prevention.
Environment Agency chairman Chris Smith has hit back at critics, accusing ministers of holding back vital funds.
"When I hear someone criticising the expertise and professionalism of my staff in the Environment Agency who know more about flood risk management - 100 times more about flood risk management - than any politician ever does, I am not going to sit idly by," he said.
Mr Smith, a former minister for the now opposition Labour government, says the Treasury limited the amount the agency could spend on flood management in Somerset.
UK prime minister David Cameron last week announced $236.6 million in extra funding for emergency repairs and maintenance.
Mr Cameron paid his first visit to Somerset, where the Royal Marines have been deployed to help with sand-bagging, on Friday (local time).
He is due to tour storm-affected areas in the southwest counties of Devon and Cornwall today.
UK floods: Alert issued as River Thames breaks banks - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Somerset floods overwhelm ‘island fortress’ built to protect £1m home
Somerset floods overwhelm ‘island fortress’ built to protect £1m home
He had been compared to King Canute – a man determined to hold back the tide.
But despite his futile attempts, it seems Sam Notaro’s dream Somerset home is finally succumbing to the floodwaters which surround it.
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The 40-year-old built a 5ft-tall moat around his £1million property, which spans over four acres. He also waterproofed his land with bricks, hired a pump system and has wrapped the bottom of his house with polythene sheeting.
Yet last night, it seemed the water was seeping through the barricade regardless, possibly from underneath the defences he had erected.
Mr Notaro, from Moorland in Somerset, told Channel 4 News: ‘We hope to win, we’re trying to save the house if we can… we’ve just got to try, it’s the only thing we can do.’
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he builder has spent in excess of £10,000 on the flood defences and believes more could have been done by the Environment Agency to protect homes in the area.
He said he had tried to begin building his island fortress early last week. However, the project was delayed because the agency said he didn’t have the correct paperwork for ‘earth moving’.
Even though the emergency services have told Mr Notaro to leave, he intends to stay put, in the hope the rising waters won’t enter his home.
But with a faulty pump and the risk of water getting into his diggers’ engines, his battle is becoming harder.
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DATCHET, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 10: A home owner's boat sits outside his house after flood water continues to rise after the river Thames burst it's banks on February 10, 2014 in Datchet, England. The Environment Agency has issued severe flood warnings for a number of areas on the river Thames west of London.
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A woman walks past her oast house in Littlebourne, Kent, as river levels continue to rise in the area.
UK floods: Somerset floods overwhelm 'island fortress' built to protect £1m home | Metro News
