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Boris Johnson branded a ‘traitor’ as he finally meets flood victims

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Bewdley in Worcestershire. Photograph: PETER NICHOLLS/PA Wire.

Boris Johnson has been branded a ‘traitor’ as he finally visited a flood-hit area to see efforts to tackle flooding.

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Boris Johnson arrived on the banks of the River Severn in Bewdley, Worcestershire on Sunday afternoon and was taken to view flood defences by Environment Agency staff.

Some onlookers shouted "traitor" at Johnson, who has faced criticism for failing to visit flood-hit communities sooner.

Bewdley has been among the worst-hit areas in England following the wettest February on record.

Johnson said he would "get Bewdley done" as he spoke to residents affected by the floods.

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He said he was "so sorry to hear it" when he heard homes had been overwhelmed by as much as 2ft of water.

The PM spoke to the Environment Agency and said they discussed "what permanent defences can we put in and what's the business case".

MORE: Boris Johnson sticks two fingers up at flood victims

He added: "What we're doing is we are doubling the funding for flood defences to £5.2 billion and we're also going to be looking at all the things we can do upstream."

Labour taunted Johnson that he was a "part-time" prime minister in the House of Commons after his slow response to the floods and coronavirus.