Communities in the north and south west of England and the Severn Valley should remain vigilant to the risk of further flooding into the weekend, the Environment Agency is warning. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is also warning of ongoing flood risk.
The Met Office forecast is for more heavy rain for the north of England on Friday and for the south of England on Friday and into Saturday morning. This brings an ongoing risk of flooding in parts of these areas and along parts of the River Severn, which could affect roads and disrupt travel.
The rivers Severn, Ouse, and Wye are expected to remain high into the weekend. The Foss Barrier in York, which was closed on Wednesday, is continuing to operate normally. Temporary flood defences and pumps are being deployed across the country. Demountable flood barriers are now in place at Shrewsbury on the River Severn. The Environment Agency continues to work in the Ullswater Valley in Cumbria to remove gravel and reduce flood risk.
Neil Davies, National Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
“As more wet weather is on the way we are urging communities in the north, south west, and Severn Valley to remain vigilant to the risk of further flooding.”
“There will be high tides again today around southern and western coasts, which can cause large waves and spray. We advise anyone near coastal paths and promenades to take extra care and to avoid the temptation to go ‘wave watching’.
In Scotland, heavy and persistent rainfall is forecast by the Met Office to affect most of Scotland, with severe gales also developing.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is warning that flooding may affect communities, low lying land and roads, and cause travel disruption in Easter Ross and Great Glen, Skye and Lochaber, Tayside, Argyll and Bute, Central, West Central Scotland, Ayrshire and Arran, Dumfries and Galloway, and the Scottish Borders.
SEPA is also warning of the risk of coastal flooding, from Friday morning on the west coast to late afternoon on the south east coast, at times of high tides due to a combination of predicted surge and high waves affecting the whole of the Scottish coastline.
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