THE beleaguered Environment Agency, under attack for its lack of preparation against recent floods covering large areas of England, faced even more bitter criticism over the weekend when it was reported that its senior executives had received huge performance bonuses.

According to the Sunday Times, the agency's chief executive, Baroness Young, a Labour peer, received a £24,000 bonus on top of her £163,000 salary. Other executives shared bonuses equivalent to 10% of their salaries - despite the fact that the agency's budget was cut by £14 million last year by then Chancellor Gordon Brown.

The news was received with fury in many parts of Yorkshire from Filey to Sheffield, which have all been hit by serious floods. In Hull, which is calling itself "the forgotten city" because aid was so slow in arriving, a row has broken out because emergency funding paid by the Government has not yet been distributed.