Environment Agency
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The Environment Agency is warning that ongoing flooding impacts are likely to continue on Wednesday as river levels remain high from sustained heavy rainfall from Storm Bert last weekend. Storm Conall is bringing some additional heavy rainfall to south and south east of England slowing the recovery from recent flooding.
Storm Bert caused significant river and surface water flooding over the weekend including in Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, with communities in a wide area across the country affected.
As Storm Bert subsides, Environment Agency teams are reporting limited flooding impacts to properties caused by Storm Conall. However,people should take caution as peaks move downstream and slower rivers respond to the recent rainfall.
As of 15.00 on Wednesday 27 November, there are 80 flood warnings and 159 flood alerts in place. The Environment Agency estimates 35,700 properties have been protected, with heavy rain leading to at approximately 680 properties being flooded.
Secretary of State Steve Reed held a meeting with Environment Agency Chief Executive Philip Duffy on Monday morning to discuss the response to the flooding and ongoing plans to protect communities.
During the meeting, the Secretary of State was briefed on the latest situation on the ground, and the 24/7 response being led by the Environment Agency and the emergency services. He also sought reassurance on the actions being taken to further protect communities in the coming days with river levels expected to rise in some places.
Together they also discussed how to bolster the response from the Environment Agency, emergency services and local authorities if required.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy also visited Chippenham on Tuesday, to see first-hand the impact of recent flooding and to meet with Environment Agency staff and partners who are leading on the response.
The Government is working at pace to step up further preparations for this winter. They are investing 2.4 billion until March 2026 to improve flood resilience and better protect communities across the country.
Lessons learned from these floods are being 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 Floods Minister Emma 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 Farmers Union, among others.
Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Steve Reed said:
On Monday, I held a meeting with the Environment Agency and am receiving regular updates on the response to flooding in parts of the country.
My sympathies are with all of those who have been impacted by the recent weather.
I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the outstanding work that the Environment Agency and emergency responders are doing to keep people safe.
I urge people to check their flood risk, sign up for flood warnings and follow the latest guidance from emergency responders.
Ben Lukey, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
Due to heavy rainfall brought by Storms Bert and Conall, significant river flooding impacts are expected in parts of Northamptonshire today and are probable on Thursday. Minor river flooding impacts are also probable in parts of the South and East of England today and are expected on the River Severn until Friday
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 urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.
People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at by searching check my flood risk, and follow @EnvAgency on X for the latest flood updates.
Across the country, Environment Agency officers are working round the clock checking flood defences, clearing debris and erecting temporary barriers. Ongoing minor river flooding impacts are possible more widely across England, which may continue in places until Friday.
We continue to monitor forecasts and impacts on water levels across the country. We urge the public to check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and to consider the weather before travelling.
People can check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation, and follow @EnvAgency on X for