Parts of northern, central and eastern England
are being urged to prepare for the risk of significant flooding
from today and throughout this week, the Environment Agency has
said. The public should sign up to flood warnings and check the
latest safety advice as heavy downpours are likely to fall on
saturated ground.
The Environment Agency is already working with
partners across the country to reduce the flood risk brought on
by the severe weather conditions. Extensive preparations are
being made to operate flood defences, flood storage reservoirs
and to put up temporary barriers where needed to help protect
communities ahead of the incoming weather.
Previous rainfall and snowmelt means
catchments are already very wet, river levels remain high and
further heavy rain could affect parts of Yorkshire, Derbyshire,
Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.
As of 2pm on 19 January there are 14 flood
warnings, meaning that flooding is expected, and 123 flood
alerts, meaning that flooding is possible. However, it is
expected for this number to increase significantly as rain falls
overnight.
Craig
Woolhouse, Flood Duty Manager at the
Environment Agency, said:
“We’re expecting surface and river water
flooding to affect parts of northern England today and then
northern, central and eastern England on Wednesday and Thursday,
which could cause damage to buildings in some communities.
“Heavy downpours falling on already saturated
ground may also cause flooding more widely across England from
today until Saturday for slower responding rivers. Localised
flooding on roads and land is also likely across central and
southern England on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Environment Agency teams are out on the
ground clearing grilles, screens, deploying temporary flood
defences and closing flood barriers. We urge people to keep away
from swollen rivers and not to drive through flood water – it is
often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is
enough to float your car.
“People should check their flood risk, sign up
for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest
situation at via Gov.uk
or follow @EnvAgency on Twitter for the latest flood
updates.”
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Neil
Armstrong, said:
“Storm Christoph will bring a mix of notable
weather hazards across the UK over the next few days. Some
locations in central Northern England and Wales could see a
month’s rain fall in just a couple of days, with up to 200mm
possible over higher ground, presenting a real threat of
flooding.
“As the system moves away into the North Sea
on Wednesday night and Thursday morning we start to see the
potential for hazardous snow as cold air is pulled across the UK
from the north west with up to 30cm possible in parts of
Scotland. With cold air across the UK temperatures will drop as
we move into the weekend with a return to overnight frosts for
many.”
Evacuating people from their homes is a
multi-agency decision where all risks are considered. At present
there are no plans to evacuate any communities, however
preparations for evacuations and to create Covid-secure rest
centres will have been made by the relevant agencies as a
precautionary measure. We would urge anyone advised to evacuate
to follow the advice of the emergency services at the
time.
