Environment Agency tells residents to remain vigilant with river levels set to rise

Travel disruption is possible, caused by surface water on roads and the Environment Agency is advising drivers to allow plenty of time for their journeys and not to walk or drive through floodwater.

People going away for the holiday period should make sure they take steps to protect their property before they leave.

Flooding from surface water happens when the local drainage system cannot cope with rainfall. It is extremely difficult to predict precisely where surface water flooding will happen as it depends on ground levels, the amount of rainfall, and the local drainage network.

Phil Younge, regional flood and coastal risk manager for the Environment Agency, said: “Although the rainfall forecast for the next few days is not particularly heavy for this time of year, the rain is falling on saturated ground and there is likely to be some further surface water flooding as a result. River levels will also be high, and we would advise people to continue to check local river levels and flood risk on our website.

“Our operations staff are busy clearing culverts and other drainage channels and monitoring river levels, and we are in a heightened state of vigilance.

“Residents and businesses can sign up for our free Flood Warnings Direct system which will deliver warnings to their phone, by text to their mobile, by email, and by fax.”

Flood alerts and flood warnings can be found at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood or via @envagencyyne on Twitter.