More than 300 flood warnings in place after heavy rain hits parts of UK

Homes across the Midlands were inundated on Thursday while parts of southern England including Gloucestershire were also submerged. On Friday morning, a total of 302 flood warnings were in place in England, as well as 13 in Wales, with forecasters predicting showers could continue.

? Friday starts off cloudy for those in the east with outbreaks of rain

? The potential for some brighter spells further west, but still with the chance of some showers pic.twitter.com/3jP0G5DAXd[1] -- Met Office (@metoffice) January 4, 2024[2]

Train companies have also been affected by the deluge, with Great Western Railway warning that several lines remain closed due to flooding, including between Swindon and Bristol Parkway, Reading and Castle Cary, and Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall. A landslip at Arlesey in Bedfordshire was also affecting Thameslink services. In east London, around 50 people were led to safety by firefighters overnight after a canal burst its banks in Hackney Wick, causing flooding in an area of around 10 acres.

The highest rainfall totals recorded on Thursday were 35.2mm at Otterbourne in Hampshire, with a wide range of 20-30mm across much of the southern counties of England. The Environment Agency said ongoing impacts are likely across much of England over the next five days.

Floodwater surrounds houses in Summer Way, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire (Callum Parke/PA)

It comes after disruption caused by strong winds and rain from Storm Henk earlier in the week, which has left the ground saturated and more prone to flooding. Nottinghamshire County Council declared a major incident on Thursday due to rising levels along the River Trent and several residents of Radcliffe Residential Park, an estate of static caravans for the over-55s just to the east of the city, were evacuated.

Elsewhere, a number of cows drowned in the village of Sawley, Derbyshire, prompting an animal welfare investigation.

In Gloucestershire, police warned of road closures due to rising water levels around Tewkesbury.

An evacuation centre was set up in the nearby village Walton Cardiff while people living on Alney Island, between two branches of the River Severn, in nearby Gloucester were urged to leave their homes overnight for a nearby leisure centre.

References

1. ^ pic.twitter.com/3jP0G5DAXd (t.co)
2. ^ January 4, 2024 (twitter.com)