Storm Christoph: Be prepared flood alerts issued for Calderdale

The EA has issued alerts for the Lower and Upper Calder catchment areas and is warning residents to be prepared for potential floods.

A spokesperson for the EA said: "River levels are forecast to rise across the Lower and Upper Calder Catchment as a result of persistent rainfall, from late Monday evening until Thursday morning.

"Consequently, flooding of property, roads and farmland is possible from Tuesday morning onwards.

"Areas most at risk are low lying land, roads and farmland. As a result we expect to see high river levels from Tuesday morning around 6am.

"We will be monitoring closely to assess locations where we may need to issue flood warnings. Our field teams are out today, checking defences and clearing screens ahead of the rainfall.

"We are liaising closely with our partners to ensure they are ready to respond.

"Please put your flood plan into action and activate any property flood protection products you may have, such as flood barriers and air brick covers.

"Avoid using low lying footpaths near watercourses and plan driving routes to avoid roads which may be flooded."

The Met Office has already issued an amber warning for rain across Yorkshire.

The Environment Agency is urging people to sign up to flood warnings and to check the latest safety advice as heavy rain is set to arrive in parts of England.

Katharine Smith, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said: "Heavy and persistent rain falling on already saturated ground with snowmelt in parts of northern, central and eastern England is expected to bring significant river and surface water flooding and could cause damage to buildings in some communities."

"Flooding could continue to affect parts of central, eastern and northern England into Friday, with localised flooding of land and roads a possibility elsewhere across much of country on Wednesday and Thursday.

"Environment Agency teams are out on the ground clearing grilles, screens 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."