Floods threaten thousands of households along the Thames

Thousands of homes along the River Thames are threatened with flooding as flood waters continue to rise.

Fourteen severe flood warnings are in place in Berkshire and Surrey, while two remain in Somerset.

Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith, has hit back at critics, saying his staff knew "100 times" more about flooding than any politician.

A minister will answer an urgent question put by Labour in the Commons on the flooding crisis later.

Speaking earlier, Lord Smith said: "I have kept my counsel up to now, but when I hear someone criticising the expertise and the professionalism of my staff in the Environment Agency, who know 100 times more about flood risk management than any politician ever does, I'm afraid I'm not going to sit idly by.

"The Environment Agency is bound by the rules that are laid down by government."

His comments came after Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said ministers had been given bad advice over river dredging.

As politicians traded blows on the political fallout from the flooding, police were investigating whether seven-year-old Zane Gbangbola, who died after falling ill in his flood-hit home in Chertsey, Surrey, may have become a victim of the floods.

Officers have refused to be drawn on whether carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator pumping out floodwater from his home may have been to blame. His parents, Kye Gbangbola and Nicole Lawler, were also taken ill.

There are more than 230 low-level flood alerts and more than 150 medium-risk warnings in place across Wales and central and southern England with severe weather expected throughout the week.

The Met Office warned that river levels were expected to continue rising along the Thames, the Severn and the Dorset Stour this week.

A further 20,000 sandbags are ready to be deployed to communities at risk of flooding on the Somerset Levels.

Somerset county council staff have worked tirelessly alongside Royal Marines from 40 Commando throughout the weekend to prepare a further 20,000 sandbags for use.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Military personnel, currently mostly Royal Marines, continue to provide support in Somerset in areas affected by floods as part of cross-government and multi-agency relief efforts.

"As the prime minister has said, all available resources are being brought to bear to help those still struggling as a result of the floods."

The Ministry of Defence has put 1,600 personnel on six hours' notice to help in the south.

Surrey police and Thames Valley police have issued safety advice to residents in their area expected to be affected by flooding.

A spokesman for Surrey police said up to 2,500 homes were at risk of flooding and added that military assistance was being provided.

The prime minister, speaking after chairing a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee on Sunday, said he had "made clear again that every resource is available to the local communities affected". Network Rail had been told to do "whatever it takes" to restore badly disrupted rail links, he said. The south-west was cut off entirely at one stage.

Flooding in Datchet, a village next to the Thames near Windsor in Berkshire, forced National Rail to cancel trains on Monday morning.

A statement said: "The river Thames has flooded at Datchet and other locations between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside.

"Because of this, trains are unable to run and a replacement bus service is not available."

Flooding has also disrupted services between Oxford and Radley and services are unable to run between Bridgwater and Taunton.

Services from London to the south-west remain disrupted after days of severe weather and the rough seas that caused damage to parts of the track and a sea wall at Dawlish.