UK floods LIVE: ‘Immediate action’ required as flash floods wreak havoc in Midlands TODAY
UK weather: Met Office issue warning for heavy rain
Floods have affected areas in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Worcestershire after heavy rain. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning which runs until midnight and covers areas in the West Midlands, East Midlands and North West.
The Environment Agency had 25 flood warnings in place early on Thursday morning, stretching from the Midlands to the North East, meaning immediate action is required, as well as 10 flood alerts in Wales and four more in Scotland.
Flash floods in Worcestershire have caused chaos with a number of road closures.
The A449 southbound at Claines has partially opened after being shut due to water levels.
The A44 Evesham Road, at its junction with Egdon Lane by the Berkley Arms, was shut between Worcester and Evesham.
Hinton-on-the-Green was also affected by flooding.
And the A443 in Abberley has flooded by The Elms Hotel and Spa.
The Environment Agency has warned of the danger to properties and roads from the River Avon’s rising water levels which are expected to peak on Friday morning.
The agency said: “We expect flooding to affect properties and roads in Wyre Piddle including Wyre Piddle caravan park and that the Eckington Road will be impassable.
“We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff are checking defences.
“Please move possession and valuables off the ground or to safety and activate any property flood protection products you may have, such as flood barriers and air brick covers.”
The Environment Agency’s Worcestershire and Herefordshire manager, Dave Throup, warned of “significant flash flooding” in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.
He tweeted: “Another unhelpful 15-20mm of rain overnight, particularly #gloucestershire & south #worcestershire has caused many smaller rivers to respond & significant flash flooding. Several new flood alerts & warning issued.”
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A road is closed in Bretby in the south of Derbyshire due to flooding.
There has also been flooding on roads in the Staffordshire village of Barton Turns.
A yellow warning of heavy rain over Northern Ireland ran until 9am on Thursday.
Met Office forecaster Tom Morgan said: “More milder conditions are set to move in from the Atlantic on Wednesday evening and will lead to a sort of battleground with the cold air in the north.
“This will cause some of the rain and snow which will impact areas across northern England and Scotland.
“Northern Ireland will see around 30mm of rainfall, while parts of north-west England could experience flooding, as the ground is already very saturated and the rivers are higher than usual.”
North Wales Police tweeted heavy rain and surface water had been reported in the country’s north-east “with the usual areas of concern”.
Yellow warnings for snow have also been issued by the Met Office, covering much of Scotland and parts of northern England.
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