Farmer who lost 800 acres of land during last winter's flood is refused compensation - after he was told this aerial picture of devastation was...

Mr Winslade sent a collection of aerial images showing his land under almost eight ft of water to highlight the damage caused during the bad weather.

‘They could have sent someone out to inspect, and said, right you have done the job here is the money.

‘I put in all the photographs back in April to show the damage but they said the photographs weren’t good enough and didn’t prove I was flooded.

‘I couldn’t believe it. They were aerial photographs of my parents’ farmhouse and my farmhouse and of the land. Of 840 acres 810 was flooded.’

He applied to the fund in April, and bought more than £11,000 worth of grass seed in May and June under a three-month payment plan.

The beef producer hoped to be paid back in instalments after buying the seed, but he only received the funding six months later.

Farming Minister George Eustice, defended the delay, saying officials did not have all the information needed at first to make the payment.

He said: ‘We went the extra mile and sent a Defra official out and he has been paid now.

‘This is public money it is coming out of a European fund and there are lots of rules about the way you monitor and apply European funds.’