The chairman of the UK Environment Agency will meet flood victims later after he returned to the UK following two weeks on holiday in Barbados. Sir Philip Dilley has been criticized for taking the festive break, which came as Cumbria struggled to recover from the damage caused by Storm Desmond at the beginning of December and other parts of Britain faced a deluge of floodwater. As he arrived back at his London flat, he said he would be visiting Yorkshire later today and would be “very happy to speak” with people affected by flooding, Sky News reported. Asked if he should have visited the affected areas sooner, Sir Philip, who was noticeably tanned, said: “Well I’m going up there today, as you appreciate. “My focus really is to go and see what’s happening, to see the good work that’s been going on but most importantly to see the communities who have been affected.” Sir Philip said he had been “in very close contact” with senior EA staff throughout his break.
