As the River Thames and other waterways in England spillover their banks, causing death and destruction and forcing thousands of people from their homes, there is finger-pointing over the Cameron government’s alleged lack of readiness to deal with the disaster.

This might be England’s rainiest season in 248 years, and the biggest problems are in the regions west of London.  Fourteen severe flood warnings are in place in Berkshire and Surrey, while two remain in Somerset.  In the village of Datchet many homes, shops, and business are underwater, and the UK Environment Agency says hundreds more along the lower River Thames are under threat.

Prime Minister David Cameron toured the worst-hit areas and said that now is not the time change personnel in the Environment Agency.  But the bickering is consuming the Tory party.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles criticized the Environment Agency’s performance, prompting Environment Secretary Owen Paterson to complain to 10 Downing Street about his conservative colleague’s “grandstanding”.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said, “It is a disgrace you have Government ministers pointing the finger at each other when they should be rolling their sleeves up and helping those who are affected.  The Government needs to explain why their response to the flooding has been so slow to help the victims and why their planning has been so inadequate.”

And Cameron isn’t off the hook.  He called for dredging – the removal of silt from the riverbed to speed the flow of water – begins as soon as floodwaters recede.  But scientists say there’s no evidence that would have any effect.

“The idea that dredging on its own would have made the critical difference over the last month is fanciful,” said Hannah Cloke, associate professor in hydrology at the University of Reading.

Richard Ashley of Sheffield University actually wrote a report on flooding risk in 2004 for the Blair government – but he says its findings had been ignored by “short-term politicians who don’t take notice of the science.”

“The current government, especially the Department for Communities and Local Government, is obsessed with deregulation,” said Ashley.  “They are also obsessed with cutting the (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) budget at great risk to people in communities at risk of flooding. For them to rubbish the Environment Agency is frankly disingenuous and frankly stupid.”