Northern England assesses flood damage

Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn visited York in northern England today, as the historic city tried to cope with the aftermath of severe floods.

Corbyn met with Environment Agency officials and inspected a flood defense on the river Foss which failed last Saturday.

As a result, water flowed from the river into the city forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes.

Prime Minister David Cameron defended the government's record on flood defenses during a visit to York on Monday, saying it had committed to spend £2.3 billion over the next six years, and he would consider doing more.

Floods caused by heavy rain and rising water levels brought by Storm Frank have battered northern England and Scotland across the last week.

Yesterday, the Environment Agency said Britain had faced an extraordinary period of severe weather and flooding in December, with some river levels across the north of England reaching all time highs.