UK weather: 66 flood warnings issued for England as more heavy rain expected | environmental agency

More than 60 flood warnings have been issued in England after heavy rain overnight, the Environment Agency warned drivers they could be swept away by just 30cm (12in) of water as more downpours are expected in the coming days.

Flooding disrupted rail services in England and Wales on Thursday morning and closed the M5 motorway in both directions in Gloucestershire.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning warning that heavy rain will hit southern England and Wales, with the Midlands most affected. As of 8am on Friday, the Environment Agency (EA) had issued 66 flood warnings for England, with a further 121 flood warnings in place.

The EA said around 385 homes were flooded in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Kent and the home counties.

Caroline Douglass, EA's executive director for floods and coastal erosion, advised motorists not to drive on flooded roads.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said: “Don’t take the risk and drive into floodwaters, because it only takes 30cm to keep your car afloat – probably half the height of your tires.”

Douglass said drivers tend to underestimate the risks. They think that cars are very heavy objects and difficult to move. But 30cm doesn't have much water. And many of these waterways flow much faster than people think.

It doesn't really take much to launch a vehicle, so you'll probably get swept away in this case. We really do not want to see the tragic situation we have seen this year and in previous years.

She urged people to avoid walking near rivers or waterways over the weekend and to keep their pets and children safe.

Douglass said the agency was particularly concerned about flooding in the Midlands. Over the past week we have seen severe thunderstorms and heavy rain saturating certain areas. And as we move through the weekend and into next week, we'll see more widespread, traditional winter rainfall, and unfortunately that rain will land on already saturated ground. Midland is [likely] will be affected the most.

Wet conditions may make driving difficult and road closures possible, homes and businesses are likely to be flooded and some communities may be cut off by flooding, according to a Met Office warning.

Localized flooding will continue to occur. Many of these areas have received rain over the past few weeks, meaning the ground is already saturated, meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told PA Media.

He said conditions were expected to ease throughout the day, but he expected disruption to continue in central and southern areas throughout the morning as rivers often take time to respond.

People planning to travel on Friday should factor this into their travel times, he added.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service said it was working with South West National Highways to rescue people stranded on the M5 motorway in Gloucestershire after heavy rain caused the motorway to flood.

The National Highways Agency said the M5 was closed northbound between J16 and J14 and the southbound carriageway was closed between J14 and J15 as emergency services worked to clear flooding.

Councils and emergency services in Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire confirmed a number of road closures and reassured residents they were working to keep people safe overnight.

Tewkesbury Borough Council in Gloucestershire has handed out sandbags to residents to help them protect their homes from flooding.

National Rail warned passengers that wet weather could affect train travel in England and Wales on Friday. There will be no trains to and from Aberystwyth until 1pm, and traffic delays are expected between Bicester North and Banbury in Oxfordshire until 3pm, and Ledbury. The route between ) and Hereford will also be blocked on Friday morning.

Services between Shrewsbury in Shropshire and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands were canceled due to severe flooding at Wellington station and trees falling on the line earlier, while trains between Peterborough and London Kings Cross were delayed due to flooding.

The Marston Vale line in Bedfordshire, which runs services between Bedford and Bletchley, has also been suspended until Monday due to standing water on the tracks.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/27/uk-weather-flood-warnings-england-heavy-rain-rail-roads-england-wales-met-office The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

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