Senior figures in Powys County Council have hit back at criticisms of their response to February's devastating flooding.

At the council's full cabinet meeting, Council leader Rosemarie Harris outlined details of the clear-up operation in the wake of several weeks of terrible weather that brought widespread flooding to Powys.

And she insisted that senior figures had visited seriously-affected areas, despite claims from opposition parties to the contrary.

Cllr John Morris, the Liberal Democrat member for Crickhowell, which was badly affected, said: "I and the community and town council believe there was a lack of preparation of implementing the emergency plan.

“The council response to this major incident was not appropriate to the scale of the disaster.”

“We should have plans in place to manage that, as this will happen again.”

Cllr Morris added: “I had expected much more council support in those first few days.

“We had visits from Assembly Members and the Environment Minister (Lesley Griffiths AM – Welsh Government) came and gave us support and information that we were not receiving from Powys."

Cllr Harris responded: “I was there, I did not have my photograph taken, but I was there.”

Cllr James Evans Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Housing and Regulatory Services (Conservative – Gwernyfed) responded: “I visited Crickhowell with the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Paul Davies and the MP for Brecon and Radnor (Fay Jones).

“I don’t want to get into a debate about who did or didn't do things.

“You have been disingenuous to say we haven’t been there, when we have.”

Earlier, Cllr Harris has explained that the cost of the damage would run into millions of pounds and that help from both Welsh and UK Government would be needed.

She added that 21 PCC properties had been affected and that a money advice team was on hand to help people.