The Government has failed in its flood defence program

Thousands of homes in northern England have been left without power, with nearly 6,000 hoping to be reconnected today.

Christmas was ruined for thousands as waters rose so fast in some areas that families were not able to grab essentials, such as food and warm clothes, before fleeing to safety.

“The current projections we’ve got in our six-year plan factor climate change in but we do need to look at what’s happened in Cumbria, what’s happened in Lancashire, what’s happened in Yorkshire, because those great cities in the north need to be protected and I am determined to make sure they get the protection they need”.

The Prime Minister visited York, where streets have been deluged with water after the River Ouse burst its banks following heavy rain.

Speaking to volunteer Peter Gribbon, 28, he said: “This is really vital, the water level is going down but if more rain comes this is what we will need”.

Leeds and Manchester have also seen severe flooding after weeks of rainfall.

The flooding has been caused by “unprecedented” heavy rain across northern England, causing every river in Lancashire to reach a higher level than they have ever been.

After a telephone conference with ministers and officials on an emergency committee, Prime Minister David Cameron promised on Sunday to send more troops to “do whatever is needed” in parts of the country stricken by floods caused by what he described as “unprecedented” conditions.

“Gusts of 55-65 miles per hour are likely quite widely, with gusts reaching 70-80 miles per hour in exposed areas, particularly in northwest Scotland, and later Shetland”.

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Ministers announced a review earlier this month following the floods in Cumbria which will look at whether homes have enough protection. “The properties that flooded as a result of the opening of the barrier would have flooded had the barrier remained closed”.

Some 100 soldiers were deployed to the county to help emergency services in the hardest hit areas of Calderdale and Leeds.

The devastation prompted Leeds council leader Judith Blake to complain that cities in the less prosperous north of England are victims of a north-south divide in the allocation of government’s resources.

Although flood barriers have made a difference, he added, “it’s clear in some cases they’ve been overtopped, they’ve been overrun, and so of course we should look again at whether there’s more we should do”.

He said: “The Government shouldn’t be using climate change as an excuse for what is a predictable phenomenon”.

Mr Cameron said: “I think with any of these events we have to look at what we are planning to spend and think: Do we need to do more?”

Extreme weather events are becoming more common, and more expensive, representatives of the British insurance industry said.

“So what we should be doing is continuing with the very high level of investment in flood defences”.

National officer Justin Bowden said a meeting due in the middle of January to decide how many jobs should go in which parts of the country as part of a funding squeeze should be halted.

The Environment Agency urged residents to remain vigilant because more “severe” flooding is expected overnight and Monday.