More than 100 flood warnings in force with more rain, sleet and snow on way
The Environment Agency has urged people to remain vigilant over the coming days as flood warnings are still in place.
More than 100 flood warnings are in force across England and more rain, sleet and snow are on the way, risking further disruption.
The Environment Agency has urged people to remain vigilant over the coming days as flood warnings are still in place and a mixture of melting snow and saturated catchments could lead to further disruption in parts of England.
A danger to life warning was issued on Tuesday morning but has since been removed for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, where people living in caravan parks were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation required to save lives.
Dozens of people have been rescued by firefighters across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Stefan Laeger, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “The recent heavy rain combined with melting snow means it is probable significant river flooding will continue in Leicestershire today, with minor river flooding probable in some other parts of the country, continuing through to Thursday for some larger rivers.
“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 and advise anyone travelling to be especially careful, and urge people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through floodwater as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.”
On Tuesday afternoon, 106 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 202 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, were active across England.
One flood warning and six flood alerts were in place in Wales.
The coldest nights of the year are expected this week, with temperatures potentially reaching minus 14C on Wednesday night and minus 16C on Thursday night, both in the north-east of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.
Sleet, snow and rain forecast for northern Scotland and Northern Ireland mean yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place from Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday at midday.
Southern England is also braced for snow, with a yellow weather warning in place from 9am until midnight on Wednesday.
The Met Office has warned of a small chance of power cuts and the potential for rural communities to be cut off.
Passengers and vehicles could also become stranded in the snow, the national weather service said.
A yellow warning for ice has been issued covering parts of North Wales, the Midlands and areas in the north east and north west of England between 5pm on Tuesday and midday on Wednesday.
Neil Monteith, 49, owns a caravan on the front row of the Proctors Pleasure Park, near Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire, which was surrounded by floodwater on Tuesday.
He told the PA news agency: “(The water) is the highest I’ve seen it, I’ve never seen it this bad before.”
Mr Monteith added that he no longer lives in the caravan and only keeps furniture inside, but said that it is “more than likely” damaged.
A woman who lives near the Proctors Pleasure Park and did not wish to be named said: “They put in new flood defences – it used to flood all the time then it stopped, but this is unprecedented.
“It’s a flood plain, that’s what it’s for, but they build houses on it and nobody will acknowledge it or accept it.”
It comes as the Environment Agency estimated that across England at least 300 properties have flooded since New Year’s Eve.
In North Yorkshire, police said the body of a man had been recovered on Monday from an area of flooding in Beal, near Eggborough and Knottingley.
Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK on Tuesday, with Bradford City Council saying 184 were shut in its area, as well as more than a dozen in Lancashire and eight in Northern Ireland.
Road and rail links have been closed including the A1 in Lincolnshire – which is closed between the B6326 near Newark-on-Trent and the B1174 near Grantham, according to National Highways.
And Great Western Railway said flooding has closed the line between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall.
Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports were forced to suspend flights earlier on Tuesday because of the conditions.
It comes as the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) called for the Government to take action to prepare fire and rescue services for flood response following widespread flooding.
Unlike the rest of the UK, fire and rescue services in England do not have a statutory duty to respond to flooding, meaning that central Government does not provide secure funding for national flood resilience and response, the FBU said.
The FBU wrote to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in November, calling for “the UK to be made resilient to flooding with a statutory duty and investment”.
