There are more than 1,000 properties across the country that have been flooded this week, the Environment Agency has confirmed.
It comes as much of England has been issued with weather warnings from the Met Office, which has seen significant travel disruption after heavy downpours.
On Friday morning (January 5), there were still hundreds of flood warnings and alerts in place, despite improving weather conditions over the weekend and drier weather, according to the forecasters.
The Environment Agency said ongoing impacts are likely across much of England over the next five days because the ground is “completely saturated”.
Heavy rainfall is causing river levels to rise in some parts of the country ⚠
— Environment Agency (@EnvAgency) January 5, 2024
Please stay away from swollen rivers, as the current can be strong enough to sweep you off your feet.
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Data from the agency shows almost every river in England to be exceptionally high with some rivers reaching their highest flow on record, such as the River Itchen in Southampton which saw a flow double its previous record in December.
Caroline Douglass, the agency’s flood director, said the River Trent has been at “some of the highest levels we’ve seen in 24 years”.
She told BBC Breakfast more than 1,000 properties have been flooded across England this week, with that figure likely to rise.
Ms Douglass said: “We have had very wide rainfall.
“Over November and December, following Storm Babet and Storm Ciaran, the ground was incredibly saturated right across the country, particularly in the east.
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“But also that’s just been topped up over the pre-Christmas period. That rainfall from this week has just added to that, so there’s really nowhere for the water to go.
“The ground is completely saturated so in that situation we get more flooding and greater impacts than we’ve seen and probably in areas where people aren’t used to.”
How to check for flood warnings near me
If you have experienced a lot of rainfall over the last few days in your area, you might be wondering if there are any flood warnings in place so you can prepare to protect your home and belongings.
At the time of writing, there are 268 flood warnings issued across England, meaning flooding is expected.
There is also 287 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.
You can see the live map on the Environment Agency website here to see if you have a flood warning or alert.
You can enter your town, city or postcode for the most accurate findings.
How to check for long-term flooding in England
You can check for long-term flooding in the country by also checking the Environment Agency website.
Here you can also find out about:
- current flood warnings or alerts
- river, sea, groundwater and rainfall levels
- flood risk in the next five days
Please note, there are different services to check flooding in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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