Flood protest to hit PM's holiday

Mr Brown, his wife Sarah and sons John, four, and Fraser, two, are taking a break near Southwold, Suffolk, after leaving London on Saturday.

But locals say the choice is ironic because the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), may allow parts of the nearby coast to flood as part of long-term sea defence plans.

Protesters say they will stage a demonstration in Southwold on Wednesday to underline their concerns and call for more Government cash to be spent protecting the Suffolk coast.

"Isn't it ironic that Gordon should choose to come to a place that his Government is abandoning to the sea," said a spokesman for the Blyth Estuary Group.

"Southwold is a fantastic, timeless place that hundreds of thousands of people love to come to every year. We know Gordon and his family will have a fabulous time.

"But then we need him to go back to Westminster and tell Defra to reverse its policy of retreat to save wonderful parts of our coast like this before it's too late.

"If Gordon Brown has his way there will be nowhere for his two boys to get their buckets and spades from and nowhere to buy an ice cream because it will all be washed away,"

Mr Brown says nothing is finalised and he understands locals' concerns.

He says the Government in committing hundreds to millions of pounds to combating coastal erosion as global warming causes sea levels to rise. "We have got to respond to people's concerns," he said, after arriving in East Anglia. "All these decisions have got to be made on the basis of different areas' needs."