Environment Agency urges people to check flood risk for Christmas

Storm Barbara expected to bring wet and windy conditions, with Environment Agency urging people to check flood risk.

Storm Barbara is expected to bring heavy rainfall across parts of the north-west of England and the Pennines from Friday onwards. The Environment Agency have urged people to check the flood risks for their journeys, especially when driving or staying in an unfamiliar location.

With just 30cm of flowing water enough to float a car, driving through flood water can be life threatening.

The top three places in the UK for flood rescues on the roads have remained the same for seven years.

Rufford Lane in Newark, Nottinghamshire, Watery Gate Lane in Leicester and Houndsfield Lane in Shirley, Solihull are all fords. A record number of 642 stranded vehicle callouts was recorded by the AA on Christmas Eve 2013.

The Environment Agency recommends that people stay away from swollen rivers, flood water, and coastal roads and promenades in a storm.

Environment Agency teams are out on the ground clearing river trash screens and removing blockages from rivers.

Staff from the Agency, supported by the British Army, will be on standby throughout the festive period and ready to respond wherever needed. The Agency will also support local authorities responding to any surface water flooding.

Kate Marks, Environment Agency Flood Risk Duty Manager, said: “Storm Barbara will bring rain and wind over Christmas, we want to make sure everyone gets home safely. It’s easy to check our warnings and alerts or follow @EnvAgency and #floodaware on Twitter for the latest flood updates.

“Environment Agency teams are on standby throughout the festive period and will issue flood warnings and alerts where necessary. This winter, we are more prepared than ever for severe weather. There are 6,500 staff trained to respond to flood incidents, 500 flood support officers and 1,200 soldiers on standby. We’ve also invested in new kit including 40km of temporary flood barriers and 250 high volume pumps.”

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