A full-scale emergency has been declared on the Somerset Levels as rising floodwaters threaten to engulf hundreds of homes.
Evacuation plans are now being drawn up to move families out as heavy rain for the weekend threatens to see rivers overtopping their banks.
Bridgwater and West Somerset Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger has already written to David Cameron and Communities and Local Government Minister Eric Pickles this morning asking for help.
The emergency was declared today by Sedgemoor District Council backed by Somerset County Council as it became clear that local authorities were going to need additional resources to cope with a growing flood threat.
Thousands of acres of the Levels have been inundated for three weeks with main roads closed and communities such as Muchelney completely cut off.
Now there are fears that the next band of heavy rain could cause major problems for Langport and the village of Westonzoyland, near Bridgwater. There is a further problem: next week tides will start to rise again in the Bristol Channel limiting the capacity of rivers to drain the area.
Mr Liddell-Grainger has been at the forefront of attacks on the Environment Agency, accused of leaving the area vastly more at risk from flooding by abandoning dredging of the main rivers and by failing to maintain pumps used to clear floodwater away.
But he said: “Sorting out who is to blame for what is something we can do later.
“The priority now is to ensure that we don’t see hundreds more homes invaded by the floods.
“There is a very real risk of catastrophic flooding on a scale not seen for more than a century unless we act swiftly and decisively.
“I have told the Prime Minister we need extra pumping capacity brought here as soon as possible and we may also need help from the military if the situation progresses in the way it appears to be going.
“I congratulate Sedgemoor District Council on taking this step and trust all other local authorities in the county will be ready to offer whatever support and resources they can.”