Weather warnings in force as flooding risk persists

Weather warnings for snow and ice are in force across much of the UK after severe flooding and snow caused travel disruption and school closures.

A yellow snow and ice warning is in place across most of south-west England and Wales, coastal parts of North Wales and Merseyside and parts of north-west England and the West Midlands, until 10am on Tuesday.

The same warning is in place for western and northern parts of Scotland until midday, and in Northern Ireland until 11am.

A critical incident has been declared by East Midlands Ambulance for the first time ever, with flooding partly responsible for the “level of escalation”.

A major incident was declared by authorities in Lincolnshire on Monday night, with a warning that more flooding could occur on Tuesday.

Lincolnshire Resilience Forum said 40 flood warnings and 29 flood alerts were in place across the county, with reports of 62 properties “internally flooded”.

“We are keeping a really close watch on this as it develops because we know that there might potentially be more flooding, particularly in areas which may be affected by tidal waters,” a statement said.

It also said emergency services were on standby at Greatford, near Stamford, to monitor the West Glen River, which it said threatened to inundate 49 properties in the area.

The Environment Agency has issued a severe flood warning, meaning danger to life, for the River Soar covering caravan parks near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire.

Across England, there are also 198 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 300 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.

Commuters suffered travel misery on Monday, with major roads closed and railway lines blocked.

Firefighters in Leicestershire rescued 59 people, while the body of a man was recovered from an area of flooding in North Yorkshire.

Police said the man has been formally identified, but efforts to trace his next of kin were ongoing, adding that there are currently no suspicious circumstances surrounding the discovery.

At a Lincolnshire primary school, parents were told to stay away until the end of the day, with fire brigade vehicles ready to carry children through the flood waters.

Hundreds of schools were closed across the country, in areas including Lancashire, Yorkshire and north-east Scotland.

In the Commons, environment minister Emma Hardy told MPs flooding was “a personal priority” for her, adding that the Environment Agency was particularly concerned about Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.

Warning of further “localised” flooding to come over the next 24 to 36 hours, she pledged to overhaul the Government’s approach to funding flood defences “to ensure the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are taken into account when delivering flood protection”.

Published: 07/01/2025 by Radio NewsHub