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From December 2013 onwards the [[Somerset Levels]] suffered severe flooding as part of the wider [[2013-2014 Atlantic winter storms in Europe]] and subsequent [[2013–2014 United Kingdom winter floods]].
There were public calls for the rivers Parrett and Tone, in particular, to be dredged. The Environment Agency was blamed for not having dredged the major river channels of the Levels. The Environment Agency and others pointed out that it would be more effective to spend money on delaying floodwaters upstream, and that increasing the capacity of rivers by [[dredging]] would be of no significant use; the Environment Secretary defended the Agency.<ref>{{cite news|title = UK floods: Cameron gives lukewarm backing to Environment Agency boss|url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/10/david-cameron-environment-agency-lord-smith|access-date = 10 February 2014|newspaper = The Guardian|date = 10 February 2014|first1= Rowena|last1= Mason|first2 = Patrick |last2=Wintour}}</ref> Roger Falconer, Professor of Water Management at Cardiff University, and other hydrologists made clear that dredging did not offer a useful solution to flooding on the Somerset Levels.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-somerset-flooding/|title=expert reaction to Somerset flooding | Science Media Centre}}</ref>
On 7 February, the Environment Secretary needed an urgent operation and handed over the flood management to Eric Pickles.<ref>{{cite news|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|title=MP Owen Paterson to have urgent operation on detached retina|url-status=live|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26057456|access-date=11 February 2014|date=6 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140206005043/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26057456|archive-date=6 February 2014}}</ref> Pickles then appeared on ''[[The Andrew Marr Show]]'' and apologised "unreservedly" for not dredging the Somerset Levels and said that "the government may have relied too much on the advice" of the Environment Agency.<ref>{{cite news|title=UK floods: Government 'made a mistake' by not dredging|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26106290|access-date=9 February 2014|newspaper=BBC News|publisher=BBC|date=9 February 2014}}</ref> The head of the Environment Agency Lord Chris Smith rejected the criticism of his organisation.<ref name="autogenerated1970">{{cite news|last=Carrington|first=Damien|title=Ministers playing politics with floods, says Environment Agency chief|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/09/floods-environment-agency-chris-smith-hits-back|access-date=11 February 2014|newspaper=The Guardian|date=9 February 2014}}</ref> The Environment Secretary protested in the strongest possible terms to the Prime Minister about Pickles' "grandstanding".<ref>{{cite news|last=Morris|first=Nigel|title=UK weather: Eric Pickles and Owen Paterson clash over the performance of the Environment Agency|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/uk-weather-eric-pickles-and-owen-paterson-clash-over-the-performance-of-the-environment-agency-9119329.html|access-date=11 February 2014|newspaper=The Independent|date=10 February 2014}}</ref>
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