Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK flooding: Severe warnings withdrawn with river levels predicted to fall

Emergency teams were out in force this weekend pumping away floodwater across northern England

Koos Couve
Saturday 02 January 2016 18:05 EST
Comments
A digger is used to improve drainage in Glenridding in the Lake District
A digger is used to improve drainage in Glenridding in the Lake District (AFP/Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Flooded communities across the UK will enjoy some respite with river levels predicted to fall, despite more heavy rainfall.

Yellow warnings of rain were issued for Northern Ireland, north-east England, parts of Wales and Cornwall for Sunday but severe flood warnings were withdrawn on Friday following emergency work by the Environment Agency (EA) to bolster flood defences.

Floodwaters in York have receded, but the EA warned residents to remain “vigilant” as the River Ouse will remain high. Emergency teams were out in force this weekend pumping away floodwater across northern England, repairing defences, clearing blocked rivers and monitoring water levels. Over 40 additional pumps have been dispatched to the region to ensure that floodwater is pumped away as fast as river levels will allow.

Craig Woolhouse, director of incident management at the EA, said: “Thankfully it is now an improving weather picture across most of the country.

“We will continue to work closely with local authorities in the coming weeks to support their recovery efforts and still have teams working around the clock to protect communities and pump away floodwater.”

In England, 26 low-risk flood warnings and 80 flood alerts were in place in Devon, Worcestershire, West Dorset, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire and Cumbria today.

UK floods: Road collapse

The EA said there could be flooding along the Rivers Ouse in York and Severn in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire on Sunday and Monday.

A clean-up in Dumfries and Aberdeenshire, the areas in Scotland worst-affected by Storm Frank, continued. The Met Office issued an amber warning for rain in eastern Scotland.

Hundreds of Scottish homes were evacuated and thousands were left without power by rain and high winds on Wednesday.

Police have confirmed that a man died on Wednesday as after he fell from a canoe into the rapid-flowing River Garry in the Highlands, bringing the death toll from Storm Frank to two.

Nine flood warnings and three flood alerts were in place in Scotland today.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in