Environment Agency warns flood hit communities to remain vigilant as more rain expected

The Environment Agency (EA) is warning communities in south Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to remain vigilant as more heavy rain is expected on Thursday and Friday in areas already affected by flooding.

The EA is working hard to support local communities by putting up temporary barriers and taking sandbags to areas across South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, aided by the military.

Although river levels have fallen over the past few days, prolonged rain on Thursday, Friday and over the weekend could bring further river and surface water flooding to areas of South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Midlands where the ground is already saturated.

300 EA staff are working 24/7 around the country deploying 39 pumps across five locations. In Fishlake, five ultra-high volume pumps are fully operational and pumping out 16 cubic metres of water per second. EA teams have now deployed more than 2,200 sandbags in affected areas.

Since the flooding began last Thursday, approximately 14,400 properties have been protected by flood defences, including nearly 5,000 properties in South Yorkshire alone. Flood storage areas are also being operated to protect 7,000 homes in parts of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

As of 1pm (Wednesday 13 November) all severe flood warnings with a threat to life have been downgraded in South Yorkshire. Across the country, 34 Flood Warnings – meaning flooding is expected – and 75 Flood Alerts – meaning flooding is possible – remain live.

Kate Marks, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

Heavy rain is expected on Thursday, Friday and over the weekend which could lead to further flooding for communities in South Yorkshire around the Lower River Don. Parts of Lincolnshire and the Midlands could also be affected by rain falling on already saturated ground over Thursday and Friday, as well as other parts of England as rain crosses the country from west to east.

It’s really important that impacted communities remain vigilant and take steps to prepare for flooding by checking their flood risk regularly and making plans to stay safe.

The Environment Agency has teams working around the clock on the ground erecting temporary barriers and delivering sandbags to areas expecting further rainfall.

Our incident rooms remain open 24 hours a day and we are continuing to work closely with local authorities and partners.

We advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to walk or drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.

The public can check their flood risk and keep up to date with the latest situation and access advice on the Environment Agency’s flood warning service webpage, or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or following @EnvAgency on Twitter.