Environment Agency
class="gem-c-govspeak govuk-govspeak gem-c-govspeak--direction-ltr govuk-!-margin-bottom-0">
The Environment Agency is continuing to urge people to remain vigilant following the recent flooding, as flood warnings are still in place and a mixture of already saturated catchments and melting snow could risk some further disruption in parts of England on Wednesday and Thursday.
Ongoing minor river flooding impacts are expected along major rivers in parts of the Midlands today and tomorrow, with minor impacts possible more widely until Thursday. People in affected areas should follow advice from emergency services and take caution, particularly while travelling.
Environment Agency teams remain on the ground supporting the public and are still operating flood defences and basins to manage possible impacts.
As of 12:20 on Wednesday 8 January, there are 84 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 152 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, live across the country. Since 5 January, the Environment Agency estimates that across England nearly 35,000 properties have been protected and around 800 properties have flooded, with reports of further flooding being investigated.
Heavy rainfall over the New Year also saw significant river flooding across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Yorkshire, with the highest river levels on record being reached on the Mersey in Stockport and South Manchester. In total, over 70,000 properties have been protected from flooding and approximately 1,000 properties have flooded across England since New Years Eve.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy has met with Environment Agency Chief Executive Philip Duffy to discuss the nations response to the recent flooding events.During the meeting, the Floods Minister was briefed on the current situation on the ground, and the response being led by the Environment Agency and the emergency services. Together, they discussed how to continue to support the collective efforts of the Environment Agency, emergency services, and local authorities in responding to flooding.
The Environment Agency continues to monitor the forecast and impacts on river levels. Its message to the public remains to check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation.
Stefan Laeger, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
The recent heavy rain combined with melting snow means ongoing minor river flooding will continue in parts of the Midlands today and on Thursday, with minor river flooding expected in parts of England along major rivers today and into Thursday.
Environment Agency teams continue to be out on the ground, operating flood defences, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding, issuing flood warnings and supporting those communities affected.
We urge people to remain vigilant over the next few days, advise anyone travelling to be careful and 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.
People should search check my flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings, and keep up to date with the latest situation at @EnvAgency on X.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:
Yesterday afternoon I held an urgent meeting with the Environment Agency about the ongoing flooding incident.
My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.
I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.
This Government is working at pace to accelerate the building of flood defences through our new Floods Resilience Taskforce and investing 2.4 billion, so we can continue to protect people and their homes.
Lessons learned from these floods will be fed directly into the new Floods Resilience Taskforce to speed up the development of flood defences and bolster the nations resilience to extreme weather.
The Taskforce brings together the Secretary of State and Minister Hardy with representatives from Defra, MHCLG, Home Office, Cabinet Office, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, Local Resilience Forums, Mayoral Offices, emergency responders and the National Fa