100 flood warnings in force as heavy rain batters the nation

Emergency services have been inundated with calls over flooding 

Chantal da Silva
Thursday 24 December 2020 09:00 GMT
Comments
Cars drive on a flooded road as the River Conwy bursts its banks on October 30, 2020 in Llanrwst, Wales. Parts of Wales have been flooded again after heavy rains overnight.
Cars drive on a flooded road as the River Conwy bursts its banks on October 30, 2020 in Llanrwst, Wales. Parts of Wales have been flooded again after heavy rains overnight. (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Emergency services across England and Wales saw a surge in calls overnight as parts of the UK were battered by heavy rains, causing flooding in some areas. 

By 5am on Thursday morning, the Environment Agency (EA) had been forced to issue more than 90 flood warnings for England.

The EA issued at least 16 warnings in relation to the River Severn on the Welsh Border alone, while part of the Great River Ouse and the Chediston watercourse in Suffolk also received notices.

Meanwhile, Natural Resources Wales has issued a further nine flood warnings.

The EA has also issued nearly 150 flood alerts, urging residents to be prepared for the possibility of flooding.

In the wake of the downpour, emergency services in England and Wales have received an onslaught of requests for help. 

In a tweet, the Nottinghamshire Police said their emergency services were called late Wednesday night over reports of a landslide near a residential area by a former quarry. 

Police told PA a “small number” of properties had to be evacuated while the situation was closely monitored. 

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service had taken at least 500 calls for assistance on Wednesday as heavy rains fell.

The Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said they had also taken more than 250 flood calls, with several homes affected by flooding and multiple people having to be rescued from their vehicles.

Much of the heavy rainfall has cleared overnight.  

However, some residents will still have to contend with some of the damage caused by the downpour. 

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in