Disgraceful Tory ministers who mercilessly cut flood defence budgets have resorted to useless squabbling as swathes of Britain languish underwater.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles issued a venom-filled apology yesterday for relying on the Environment Agency’s advice, saying he “thought we were dealing with experts.”

But his attempt to deflect blame from the government was slapped down by the agency and the unions, which pointed out the havoc wrought by coalition budget cuts.

Unison national officer Matthew Lay said Mr Pickles’s attack was “simply a smoke screen to hide the reality that government cuts to staff and resources have contributed to the devastation caused by severe flooding in parts of England.”

Prospect deputy general secretary Leslie Manasseh said that workers were “astonished to be scapegoated” when it was the Tories’ austerity “that has starved the organisation of vital investment over the years.”

Mr Pickles tried to shift the blame after admitting that it was a mistake to have stopped dredging rivers in the Somerset Levels.

Prime Minister David Cameron rejected calls for agency chairman Chris Smith to be sacked immediately, saying that everyone should “get on with their jobs.”

That followed reports of a bitter clash between Mr Pickles and Environment Secretary Owen Paterson over the agency.

Labour leader Ed Miliband condemned the coalition’s blame game.

“It is a disgrace that you have government ministers today pointing the finger at each other when they should be rolling their sleeves up and helping those who are affected.

“The government needs to explain why their planning has been so inadequate.”

The Green Party called for an urgent inquiry to determine the exact the scale of flood defence cuts.

It also called for Mr Paterson to get the sack, with his denial of climate change a cause for concern.

The Environment Agency warned yesterday that hundreds of homes near the Thames could be flooded in the next few days as forecasters predicted more rain and strong winds.