UK weather: Britain braced for more flooding

By  Patrick Sawer

The flooding that has battered Britain’s coastal areas is expected to move inland on Sunday after 48 hours in which storms and gale force winds have left a trail of destruction. 

Swathes of southern and western England are at risk from flooding as more heavy rain arrives, with particular warnings issued for Weybridge and Guildford, in Surrey, low lying parts of Oxford, and parts of Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. 

Also at risk are communities along the Severn in Gloucestershire and on the Somerset Levels. 

Parts of the North East coast, including Whitby and South Shields, could also see flooding, while stretches of the south coast, including Portsmouth and Newhaven are also at risk over the next two days. Environment Agency teams are on standby to deploy extra flood defences in these areas. 

The warnings follow two days of bad weather, with storms and high seas wreaking carnage in coastal areas, particularly in Aberystwyth, where debris was strewn across the promenade. Anne McIntosh, the chair of the Commons environmental select committee, described the country as being in the "eye of an emergency”. 

The Army helped to build up flood defences on Saturday, with soldiers from 36 Engineer Regiment and 2 Royal Gurkha Rifles helping to fill sandbags in Kent. 

David Cameron praised the “great work” of the emergency services and Environment Agency in responding to the latest floods. 

Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, said he had chaired an emergency meeting of Whitehall departments to ensure preparations were “in hand”. 

The Environment Agency on Saturday night had 99 flood warnings in place, meaning immediate action is required to protect life and property, with a further 254 flood alerts covering much of England and Wales. 

Forecasters said there would be little respite over the next few days, with deluges and gusting wind predicted to continue on Sunday, and floodwaters rising further as the heavy rain falls on already saturated ground. 

The Met Office has issued warnings of heavy rain in the south of England, while snow could even affect the north and southern parts of Scotland. Up to 1.1in of rain could fall in just six hours in some areas on Sunday, and there are more warnings of flooding and travel disruption. 

Winds will again gust at up to 50mph, whipping up already high tides and waves into strong storm surges. Snow and sleet for parts of Scotland, the Borders, Cumbria and Northumberland completes the bleak forecast. 

Jonathan Day, Flood Risk Manager at the Environment Agency said: “The risk of flooding to the coast will continue over the next few days, especially on the south and west coast and along the Severn estuary. In addition, wet conditions have left the ground saturated in many areas, increasing the risk of river and surface water flooding. 

“We would urge people to be prepared by checking their flood risk, signing up to free flood warnings and keeping an eye on the latest flood updates via the EA website and Twitter.” 

The public has again been warned to avoid coastal paths, beaches and seafronts, following a number of near-tragedies and an ongoing search for a missing 18-year-old feared to have been swept away off the Devon coast while taking photographs.