The Environment Agency is warning that ongoing flooding impacts
are likely to continue on Wednesday as river levels remain high
from sustained heavy rainfall from Storm Bert last weekend.
Storm Conall is bringing some additional heavy rainfall to south
and south east of England slowing the recovery from recent
flooding.
Storm Bert caused significant river and surface water flooding
over the weekend including in Yorkshire, Northamptonshire,
Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, with communities in a
wide area across the country affected.
As Storm Bert subsides, Environment Agency teams are reporting
limited flooding impacts to properties caused by Storm Conall.
However, people should take caution as peaks move downstream
and slower rivers respond to the recent rainfall.
As of 15.00 on Wednesday 27 November, there are 80 flood warnings
and 159 flood alerts in place. The Environment Agency estimates
35,700 properties have been protected, with heavy rain leading to
at approximately 680 properties being flooded.
Secretary of State held a meeting with Environment
Agency Chief Executive Philip Duffy on Monday morning to discuss
the response to the flooding and ongoing plans to protect
communities.
During the meeting, the Secretary of State was briefed on the
latest situation on the ground, and the 24/7 response being led
by the Environment Agency and the emergency services. He
also sought reassurance on the actions being taken to further
protect communities in the coming days with river levels expected
to rise in some places.
Together they also discussed how to bolster the response from the
Environment Agency, emergency services and local authorities if
required.
Floods Minister also visited Chippenham on
Tuesday, to see first-hand the impact of recent flooding and to
meet with Environment Agency staff and partners' who are leading
on the response.
The Government is working at pace to step up further preparations
for this winter. They are investing £2.4 billion until March 2026
to improve flood resilience and better protect communities across
the country.
Lessons learned from these floods are being fed directly
into the new Floods Resilience
Taskforce to speed up the development of flood defences and
bolster the nation's resilience to extreme
weather.
The Taskforce brings together the Secretary of State and Floods
Minister with representatives from
Defra, MHCLG, Home Office, Cabinet Office, the Environment
Agency, the Met Office, Local Resilience Forums, Mayoral Offices,
emergency responders and the National Farmers Union, among
others.
Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural
Affairs, said:
On Monday, I held a meeting with the Environment Agency and am
receiving regular updates on the response to flooding in parts of
the country.
My sympathies are with all of those who have been impacted by the
recent weather.
I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the outstanding work
that the Environment Agency and emergency responders are doing to
keep people safe.
I urge people to check their flood risk, sign up for flood
warnings and follow the latest guidance from emergency
responders.
Ben Lukey, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency,
said:
Due to heavy rainfall brought by Storms Bert and Conall,
significant river flooding impacts are expected in parts of
Northamptonshire today and are probable on Thursday. Minor river
flooding impacts are also probable in parts of the South and East
of England today and are expected on the River Severn until
Friday
Environment Agency teams are out on the ground, taking action to
reduce the impact of flooding and will support local authorities
in their response.
We urge people to stay away from swollen rivers and urge people
not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is
enough to move your car.
People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood
warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at by
searching ‘check my flood risk', and follow @EnvAgency on X for
the latest flood updates.
Across the country, Environment Agency officers are working round
the clock checking flood defences, clearing debris and erecting
temporary barriers. Ongoing minor river flooding impacts are
possible more widely across England, which may continue in places
until Friday.
We continue to monitor forecasts and impacts on water levels
across the country. We urge the public to check their flood risk,
sign up for free flood warnings and to consider the weather
before travelling.
People can check their flood risk, sign
up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest
situation, and follow @EnvAgency on
X for the latest flood updates.
