Britain braced for flooding during festive period

Christmas is set to be wet for many people in southern and south western England, south east Wales and the Midlands, after the Environment Agency warned homeowners and businesses to prepare for flooding.

Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and Northamptonshire were picked out as the areas most at risk of flooding in the coming days.

According to Sky News, 25-35mm of rain fell overnight last night in parts of the south west of England. Weather presenter Isabel Lang said, “After a white Christmas in 2010 and an unseasonably warm 2011, we may have a wet 2012 Christmas.”

People are urged to take caution when driving, and to sign up for free flood warnings through the Environment Agency’s website.

“Our teams are out around the clock to minimise the risks and prepare for flooding, clearing drainage channels and ensuring that flood defences are working properly”, said Craig Woolhouse, flood risk manager at the Environment Agency.

“We urge people to keep up to date with the weather forecast and local news overnight and remain prepared for flooding in their area by signing up to receive free flood warnings and staying away from dangerous flood water.”

If you want to see whether your property or business is at risk of flooding, you can look at the interactive maps (enter your postcode in the right hand column) on the Environment Agency’s website, and there is more information at the National Flood Forum and the Met Office’s ‘Get ready for winter’ site.

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Further reading:

UK floods ought to be ‘wake-up call’ for urgent climate action

Environment Agency teams ‘mobilised’ for UK floods

Prepare for severe autumn and winter floods

UK faces a future of increased flooding