Environment Agency continues to urge caution following extreme weather

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Environment Agency continues to urge caution following extreme weather

The Environment Agency has urged people to stay vigilant to the risk of flooding and stay away from swollen rivers.

The Environment Agency is continuing to urge people to remain vigilant following the recent extreme weather, as flood warnings are still in place and a mixture of further rainfall and melting snow could risk further disruption in parts of England on Monday and Tuesday.

Heavy rainfall over the New Year saw significant river flooding across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Yorkshire, with the highest river levels on record being reached on the Mersey in Stockport and South Manchester.

People in affected areas should follow advice from emergency services and take caution, particularly while travelling.

Those travelling are urged to stay away from swollen rivers and to plan ahead when making journeys, as disruption from significant flooding in the Midlands is possible on Monday and into Tuesday, while minor impacts are also probable more widely across other parts of England.

Environment Agency teams remain on the ground supporting the public and are still operating flood defences and basins to manage possible impacts.

As of 12:30 on Monday 6 January, there are 171 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 316 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, live across the country. Following the recent incidents, the Environment Agency estimates that across England more than 21,500 properties have been protected and at least 350 properties have flooded, with reports of further flooding being investigated.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy has met with staff from the Environment Agency and MPs in affected areas to discuss the response to the heavy rain and flooding and to ensure that communities are kept safe and receive the support they need.

The Environment Agency continues to monitor the forecast and impacts on river levels. Its message to the public remains to check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation.

Sarah Cook, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

Heavy rain and melting snow mean significant river flooding is possible in the Midlands, with minor impacts probable more widely across other parts of England, on Monday and into Tuesday.

Environment Agency teams continue to be out on the ground, operating flood defences, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding, issuing flood warnings and supporting those communities affected.

We urge people to remain vigilant over the weekend and advise anyone travelling to be especially careful and urge people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.

People should search 'check my flood risk', sign up for free flood warnings, and keep up to date with the latest situation at @EnvAgency on X.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:

My thoughts are with the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across England.

I continue to speak with officials from the Environment Agency and MPs to ensure that impacted communities are receiving the necessary support. I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe.

The Government is working at pace to accelerate the building of flood defences through our new Floods Resilience Taskforce, so we can continue to protect people and their homes.

Lessons from these floods will be fed directly into the new Floods Resilience Taskforce to speed up the development of flood defences and bolster the nation's resilience to extreme weather.

The Taskforce brings together the Secretary of State and Minister Hardy with representatives from Defra, MHCLG, Home Office, Cabinet Office, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, Local Resilience Forums, Mayoral Offices, emergency responders and the National Farmers Union, among others.

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Updates to this page

Published 1 January 2025
Last updated 6 January 2025 + show all updates