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Flood warnings as rain continues across the country

A yellow weather warning is in place across south Wales until 9pm.

Claire Hayhurst
Tuesday 28 January 2025 08:48 EST
Flood warnings are covering areas across southern England and Wales (Alamy/PA)
Flood warnings are covering areas across southern England and Wales (Alamy/PA)

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Dozens of flood warnings are in place across England and Wales as rain and wind continue to batter the country but forecasters are predicting a drier end to the week.

The Met Office has issued a yellow rain warning for parts of South Wales, which could lead to flooding and disruption, until 9pm on Tuesday.

In England, the Environment Agency has 27 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, and 151 flood alerts, where flooding is possible, in place. It confirmed that at least 60 properties had flooded in recent days.

The flood warnings cover areas across southern England, such as Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, Langford in Bedfordshire, Salisbury in Wiltshire and Axminster in Devon.

Natural Resources Wales has 12 flood alerts in place, including in Powys, Ceredigion and Monmouthshire.

However, the Met Office said conditions were improving with “a quieter spell of weather” due from Thursday.

The forecaster added that over the month of January, the south of the UK had been wetter than the north, which is not normally the case.

Provisional Met Office statistics show that counties including Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Hampshire and Surrey have seen 30% more rainfall than the long-term meteorological average for January.

Andrea Bishop, spokesperson for the Met Office, said: “Unsettled weather continues today and tomorrow, with an area of low pressure travelling east across the UK bringing wind and rain for some.

The showers will ease overnight, but some heavy downpours are possible in northern parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland

Andrea Bishop, Met Office

“A yellow warning for heavy rain in parts of Wales is in place until 9pm this evening.

“Conditions are generally improving though and today will be a day of sunshine and showers, with those showers heaviest in the south where some hail and thunder are possible.

“Scattered showers linger in the north of Scotland and across Northern Ireland, but there are brighter sunny spells for northern England and southern Scotland.

“The showers will ease overnight, but some heavy downpours are possible in northern parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“Wednesday will see a drier day for many, with showers in the north.

“We are keeping an eye on an area of heavy rain crossing France and the English Channel later on Wednesday, although it looks like it might just graze southern coastal counties of England.

“A quieter spell of weather is expected to arrive from Thursday, as a ridge of high pressure crosses the UK bringing a drier, brighter and less windy day for all.”

Water and flooding minister Emma Hardy said her thoughts were with those affected by the weather.

“I am receiving regular briefings, and will continue to speak with officials from the Environment Agency and MPs to ensure that impacted communities are receiving the support they need,” she said.

The Environment Agency said there was likely to be impact from minor river flooding in parts of southern England on Tuesday, with possible issues on Wednesday and Thursday from further rainfall.

It estimated that up to 5,800 properties were protected by flood defences over recent days.

Dan Bond, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “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 not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.”

In Somerset, authorities stood down a major incident that had been in place because of flooding in the county that led to the evacuation of more than 100 people from their homes.

Dozens of people are due to return to their properties on a residential park estate in the coming days, with water currently being pumped out of the site in Charlton Adam, Somerset.

Racing was abandoned at Exeter racecourse on Wednesday, with clerk of the course Jason Loosemore describing how it had seen 40mm of rainfall on Sunday.

Cornwall Council said Storm Eowyn and Storm Herminia resulted in 183 emergency incidents from Friday to Monday, including a mini tornado which uprooted trees and damaged homes near Newquay.

There was a small fire at one house that was struck by lightning, with fire crews also attending flooding incidents in the county.

Gatwick Express services that normally run between London Victoria and Brighton have been suspended because of a landslip on Monday.

The company said it was not sure how long the landslip would continue to disrupt services, with engineers from Network Rail due to assess any damage to infrastructure overnight.

Alice Simpson, spokesperson for RAC Breakdown, said conditions for drivers would be “difficult” over the week.

“The chance of fallen trees and debris in the road increases dramatically in wet and windy weather,” she said.

“For this reason, it’s vital to drive at an appropriate speed where you can slow down or stop to avoid unexpected obstacles, especially on rural routes where there are sharp bends and more trees.

“There’s also a greater risk of encountering floods and aquaplaning on faster stretches of road where a vehicle’s tyres glide on top of a thin layer of water, causing a loss of grip and control.

“Motorists should think twice about driving through standing water as they may damage their vehicles beyond repair or worse still, endanger their lives.”

Gusts of 84mph and almost 60mm of rainfall hits parts of southern England on Monday.

The bad weather is linked to Storm Herminia, a low-pressure system named by meteorologists in Spain, which was expected to feel the strongest winds.

Approximately 43,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity across Northern Ireland on Tuesday morning, after Storm Eowyn hit at the weekend, according to Northern Ireland Electricity Networks.

Scottish and Southern Electricity said it had restored power to 90,000 customers affected by Storm Eowyn and was working to reconnect a further 900 households who were still without power.

Customers without electricity were mainly in the Argyll and Bute areas, where gusts caused “very serious, widespread damage to the network”, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks confirmed.

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