Prime Minister Boris Johnson was heckled by some residents when he visited a flood-hit area in central England yesterday, after the water had subsided.
Last month was the wettest February on record for the United Kingdom, with a succession of storms bringing widespread flooding to many areas.
Johnson was repeatedly criticised by opposition politicians at the height of the flooding for not visiting affected communities.
With waters now having subsided, Johnson yesterday visited Bewdley in central England to see the recovery operation.
Television footage showed one man shouting “Traitor!” at the prime minister.
A Reuters photographer heard some people booing Johnson, while others asked why he had waited until now to come.
Some residents said they were happy that he had now visited.
Speaking to reporters during his visit, Johnson said: “It is all too easy for a prime minister to come to a place in the middle of an emergency, it is not so easy frankly for the emergency services because...they are then diverted from their work for hours and hours.
“What I have been doing since the flooding began is co-ordinating the national response but also looking at what we can do in the next months and years to ensure that this country really is ready to cope with the impacts of flooding,” he said.
Meanwhile the parliamentary watchdog is investigating Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid questions over who paid for his recent Caribbean holiday, it was reported yesterday.
The Observer newspaper said that Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards in the House of Commons, had launched an inquiry earlier this week.