The Met Office has issued a weather warning for strong winds on Sunday as parts of the country recovered from heavy rain and flooding. Flooding disrupted rail services in England and Wales on Friday morning and led to the closure of the M5 motorway in both directions in Gloucestershire.
The Environment Agency told drivers their cars could be swept away in as little as 30cm (12in) of water as more than 60 flood warnings were issued in England after heavy rain overnight, with further downpours to come.
About 385 properties were flooded in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Kent and the home counties, the EA said.
An amber rain warning for parts of the Midlands and the south of the country, and a yellow rain warning for large parts of England and Wales, both ended on Friday. But the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning of strong winds, which may cause disruption across the south-west of England and Wales on Sunday.
Gusts of up to 55mph (90kmph) are likely in places, with wind speeds exceeding 60mph in the most exposed areas.
Commuters in parts of England faced disruption on road and rail networks on Friday. Images posted on social media showed the tracks at a train station in Shropshire completely submerged, and abandoned cars on an empty motorway in Gloucestershire.
The floods minister, Emma Hardy, met the Environment Agency chief executive, Philip Duffy, on Friday afternoon to discuss the response to the flooding seen in recent days.
She said: “Any flooding event is devastating for the people it affects and while we respond to this incident, we must learn quickly from it so we can better protect homes and businesses.
“Emergency responders and volunteers across the country are to be praised for the efforts they have put in, but with more rain expected in the weeks ahead, I urge the public to sign up for flood advice.”
Duffy said: “My thoughts are with the people affected this week and we will continue to do what we can to help with their flood recovery. I want to thank teams from the Environment Agency and our partners for their tireless efforts this week.
“We are redoubling efforts to repair and maintain our flood defences and work with communities across the country to prepare for more wet weather this autumn.”
Caroline Douglass, the EA’s executive director for flood and coastal erosion, advised motorists not to drive through submerged patches of road.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said: “Don’t take a risk and drive through flood water, because it only takes 30cm to float your car … It’s probably about half the height of your tyres.”
Douglass said drivers tended to underestimate the risk: “They think a car is very heavy object and hard to move. But 30cm is not much water. And many of these waterways are much more fast-flowing than people will realise.”
Douglass said the agency was particularly concerned about flooding in the Midlands. “Over the last week or so, we’ve seen heavy thunderstorms and downpours, which have saturated particular areas. And then, as we move over the weekend and into next week, we’ll see more traditional winter rainfall that is more widespread and, unfortunately, that’s then going to be landing on already saturated ground.
According to the Met Office warning, wet conditions could lead to difficult driving conditions and road closures, homes and businesses are likely to be flooded and some communities could be cut off by flooding.
“There will continue to be localised flooding. A lot of these areas have been hit by rain in the past few weeks, which means the ground is already saturated,” the meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told the PA news agency.
The National Pest Technicians Association, a pest control body, said flooding could lead to an increase in rodent activity. It advised people to keep food and waste secure, and to check properties for any gaps, cracks or holes where rodents scavenging for food could enter.
“Rats and mice will often live in burrows underground, and rats will also live in drains and sewers,” the NPTA’s technical manager, Grahame Turner, said. “Floods can cause these spaces to become waterlogged and lead to the rodents being flushed from their normal habitat.
“They will seek refuge in drier, elevated areas such as homes, offices and commercial properties including, of course, food businesses. This increases the likelihood of infestations in places that might not typically experience rodent problems.”
Avon fire and rescue service said it was working with National Highways: South-West to rescue people stranded on the M5 in Gloucestershire after heavy rainfall flooded the motorway.
National Highways said the M5 was closed northbound between J16 and J14 and the southbound carriageway was shut between J14 and J15 as emergency services worked to clear the flooding.
Councils and emergency services in Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire confirmed a number of road closures and reassured residents they were working to keep people safe overnight.
Tewkesbury borough council, in Gloucestershire, has been handing out sandbags to local people to help protect their homes against flooding. Rail services between Shrewsbury in Shropshire and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands were cancelled after severe flooding at Wellington station and a tree on the line. Trains between Peterborough in the East Midlands and London King’s Cross were also delayed because of flooding.
The Marston Vale line in Bedfordshire, which operates services between Bedford and Bletchley, has been suspended until Monday because of standing water on the track.
