Interior minister says environmental concerns contributed to flood damage

Interior Minister Radek John has accused environmental activists of being co-responsible for the enormity of the flood damage in the Liberec region. Speaking to journalists in the flood-ravaged town of Hřensko on Friday, Mr. John said that the practice of letting fallen trees lie in the local nature reserve presented a serious hazard. In last weekend’s flood many of the fallen trees were dislodged by the raging waters and jammed the basin of the river Kamenice causing the torrent to spill over into nearby villages. Several town mayors have also pointed their fingers at environmentalists, saying that they had not allowed trees along waterways to be chopped down in order to widen river basins for protection.