'Blair has betrayed us'

In a heated exchange during Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament, Mr Hendry said that despite Mr Blair's 'fine words and pledges' following October 2000's floods, local people were at as much risk now as they were two years ago.

He said: 'The Prime Minister will recall his meeting in Downing Street on January 22, 2001, when he pledged to the leader of Wealden District Council and others that the Government would take action to ensure that the devastating floods of October 2000 would not happen again.

'Even the Prime Minister did not promise to stop the rain, but he did promise to stop the villages being affected.

'Is he aware that, while he was away over Christmas and the New Year, Uckfield nearly faced devastating flooding again, and Buxted was flooded?

'Not only has no project to prevent flooding been proposed but no action has even remotely been suggested. Does he understand why people in Wealden feel so betrayed? For all his fine words and pledges, their houses are at as much risk today as they were two years ago.

The Prime Minister extended his deepest sympathies to Mr Hendry's constituents whose homes had been flooded but said investment in flood defence schemes had worked.

'I said that we would increase significantly the amount of money going into flood defences, and we have. Without the extra investment over the past couple of years, about 5,000 more homes would have been flooded.'

He promised to look into the situation at Uckfield but added: 'I have to say we have done our level best over the last two years to give us better flood defences, and on the whole, although obviously not in every case, they have improved the situation.'

After the exchange, Mr Hendry revealed that he would be writing to the Prime Minister to request a meeting with him in person. 'I will be asking for a meeting so I can ask the Prime Minister why the response so far for Uckfield and Buxted has been so disappointing.'

l More flood defence stories - pages 8, 19.