Flooding impacts across the country

Heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours across the country has led to localised river and surface water flooding across central England, Yorkshire and the North East.

The current outlook indicates ongoing, minor river flood flooding is expected in Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Worcestershire, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, and also in Yorkshire.

At 10am on Friday, there were 60 flood warnings, showing flooding is expected, and 119 flood alerts, showing flooding is possible.

The heavy rain and thunderstorms have led to around 650 properties being flooded. However, the Environment Agency estimates that at least 8,200 have been protected.

Environment Agency teams continue to be out on the ground putting up flood defences, clearing blockages and supporting local authorities in their response work.

We continue to urge people to keep an eye on the weather, check their flood risk, and take care planning their journeys.

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

Following heavy rainfall across the country overnight, there has been localised river and surface water flooding across central England, Yorkshire and the North East. Further, minor river flooding impacts are also possible in these areas today and into Saturday.

Environment Agency teams continue to be out on the ground, supporting local authorities in responding to surface water flooding. We urge people to plan their journeys carefully, follow the advice of local emergency services on the roads and not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.

People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation as well as following @EnvAgency on X for the latest flood updates.

This week the Flooding Minister has visited communities in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard to hear more about the impacts earlier this week. On Wednesday, Environment Secretary visited Northamptonshire on Wednesday to receive a briefing on their response and the actions taken to protect communities locally.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:

I know firsthand how devastating flooding can be and my thoughts go out to those residents and businesses affected across the country.

I met with those involved in the response on the ground, including representatives from the Environment Agency and its partners, and I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work they have undertaken to help protect their communities. I urge people to continue to follow their advice and that of the emergency services.

This government is working hard to accelerate the building of flood defences and boost our emergency response through our Floods Resilience Taskforce.