UK weather: Storm Henk flooding misery to continue beyond weekend

The misery and chaos caused by flooding in England is set to continue until at least Monday, according to authorities.

In its latest update, the Environment Agency estimated that more than 1,800 properties had flooded after the heavy, intense downpours brought by Storm Henk.

At 11am on Sunday morning in England there were 174 flood warnings in place signifying expected flooding, and 184 flood alerts, which warn of possible flooding. In Wales there was one flood warning, referring to the river Ritec in Tenby, and four flood alerts.

The agency said the impact of flooding was expected to continue in the Midlands, Lincolnshire and on the River Thames until Monday.

Overall, the risks brought by the Henk flooding were going down this weekend, the agency said. But it warned: “Many rivers are elevated and will remain so for several days.”

Katharine Smith, a flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said significant river flooding impacts were this weekend expected “across parts of the River Thames in Oxfordshire as well as the River Trent near Nottingham, and the River Severn, including Gloucester.

“The prolonged wet weather and intense rainfall has led to flooding impacts and our thoughts are with all of those affected.”

The worst of the rain may have passed but forecasters have warned that the coming week will feel noticeably colder, with lower than average temperatures across most of the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued an amber cold weather alert for England for the south-west, the east Midlands, the West Midlands and the north-west which is in place from noon on Sunday until Friday. A yellow alert is in place for the remainder of England

The government’s response to the flooding has sparked a political row, with Labour accusing Sunak of being “asleep at the wheel”.

The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, has promised a taskforce which “will make sure flood defences are in the right places, and fit for purpose. People’s lives shouldn’t be upended by extreme rain.”

The Liberal Democrats called on Sunak to visit affected areas to see the devastation for himself.

On Saturday the communities secretary, Michael Gove, and the environment secretary, Steve Barclay, announced that communities hit by flooding from Storm Henk could apply for financial recovery help.

They said a “flood recovery framework” was being activated. Flood-hit households would be able to apply for up to £500 and small to medium-sized businesses could apply for up to £2,500.

The conditions continued to have an impact on travel, with the train operator Great Western Railway saying it expected the line between Bristol Parkway and Swindon to be closed on Sunday and Monday after flooding near Chipping Sodbury in South Gloucestershire.

Rail lines between Gloucester and Lydney were blocked because of the flooding, leading to cancellations on Sunday.

Damage to overhead wires also brought major disruption on Sunday services between London Paddington and Heathrow airport and Reading.

Households and businesses spent Sunday continuing to mop up after floods, with many seeking help through sites such as GoFundMe.

David Walters, 51, the owner of Cresslands Touring Park for caravans and motorhomes, has estimated the floods caused £30,000 of damage to his Lincolnshire business.

He said the nearby river had never risen above 1.5 metres until this month. “I had this horrendous feeling the night before because of the saturation and the atrocious weather we’ve had through December and into January.

“As you’re seeing, water rising in such a rapid way heading towards you, you’re almost weirdly paralysed.

“I was just staring at certain elements of my garden, for example, and just watching it creep up and just praying and hoping it didn’t hit my home, which it thankfully didn’t, but everything else got completely drenched.”