Government asks EU for flood cash

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Britain is to ask the European Commission for up to £125m to help deal with the floods crisis which hit parts of England over recent weeks.

The government will lodge an application for support under the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for dealing with natural disasters.

Ministers have already promised £46m in Whitehall aid.

Flood Recovery Minister John Healey says the UK will "put together the strongest case possible" for funds.

We are committed to doing everything we can to help life return to normal as quickly as possible in local communities and believe this application can play a part in this Floods Minister John Healey

He said it could be a year before any cash is forthcoming.

For the application to be successful, the cost of the of the damage has to be above £2.2bn.

Mr Healey said: "Clearly those areas that are currently flooded need time to deal with more immediate practical concerns before reviewing the scale and cost of overall damage.

"The top priority has been safeguarding life and property and some areas are only now starting to move into the recovery phase.

"We are committed to doing everything we can to help life return to normal as quickly as possible in local communities and believe this application can play a part in this."

Tory criticism

The government says if the application is successful, it could mean aid of between £60m and £125m, but the cash would have to be spent within 12 months.

The Conservatives have welcomed the decision to appeal for European funds, but say Britain should have applied earlier.

Shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth says his party asked for the application a month ago, after floods had devastated parts of northern England.

Parts of England and Wales were lashed by severe weather in July, with flooding affecting thousands of homes and leaving many without water.