Heavy flooding continued across parts of England on Thursday as a major incident was declared in Nottinghamshire and communities in Gloucestershire were left almost totally surrounded by water.
With the wind and heavy rain of Storm Henk expected to continue sweeping across the UK through the night, people were forced out of their homes in Shrewsbury, while parts of Worcester city centre were under water and emergency planners warned people in at-risk areas along the River Trent to make preparations in case they needed to evacuate. Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire was almost completely surrounded by flood water, with several roads cut off and authorities telling people who need to evacuate to make their way to a dedicated rest centre.
On Thursday evening there were still more than 550 flood warnings and alerts in place for England and Wales. The Environment Agency said about 450 properties had been flooded this week.
Stefan Laeger, a flood duty manager at the agency, said: “Significant surface water and river flooding impacts are possible across parts of the Midlands and the south and east of England on Thursday and Friday due to heavy localised rainfall falling on already very saturated catchments.
“Ongoing minor impacts are also likely across much of England over the next five days as some larger rivers slowly respond to recent and forecast rain.”
The Met Office earlier issued a yellow severe warning for a band of rain sweeping across the West Country, the southern counties of England, London and East Anglia lasting until 3am on Friday.
Flooding closed down roads throughout the area, stranding some residents who were unable to reach higher ground.
A crew from Highfields fire station used a boat to rescue a man stranded on his shed roof by flood water. Many in Radcliffe-on-Trent were forced to evacuate. “I’ve lived in Radcliffe since 1975, this is the highest it’s been since 2000 when it last flooded that area,” Anne McLeod of the Radcliffe-on-Trent parish council told the PA news agency. She added that several homes are without electricity.
Mario Thomas, the landlord of the Boat Inn in Jackfield, Shropshire, told PA Media that the property had been flooded since 31 December and it “got worse and worse” until the water level rose significantly on Thursday. “I knew it was going to flood but I didn’t think it was going to be so severe,” he said.
This is the third flood he has experienced at the property in less than a year. “The last two have been OK, but this one, this is an evil one,” Thomas said.
Earlier, an 87-year-old driver died after hitting a fallen tree that had been reported to police 90 minutes before. The woman, who has not been named, was in a red Smart Forfour when she collided with the tree near Crays Pond, Oxfordshire, at about 5.25pm on Tuesday. She was the second driver to have died in this week’s weather – on Tuesday afternoon, a man in his 50s from Bath was killed when a tree fell on his car in Gloucestershire.
Thames Valley police have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the most recent death because the force had been told about the fallen tree about an hour and a half before the fatal crash. The IOPC said: “We will be assessing the referral to determine whether any further action is required from us.”
In Derbyshire, a number of cows drowned in a flooded field. In a post on X, the rural crime team said officers attended the incident near Sawley with members of the Derbyshire fire and rescue service after calls relating to cattle. They managed to save some cows but added: “Unfortunately, a number had already drowned and an animal welfare investigation is now under way.”
An area of low pressure associated with the rain was also bringing some strong winds, with the Jersey Met Office publishing a red warning for winds of 60mph (96km/h).
Between 10am and noon on Thursday, 10mm of rain fell in south Cornwall, the UK Met Office said. Winds of up to 40mph were anticipated on the south coast. The forecaster said the rain was falling on already saturated ground, which could cause further flooding and travel disruption.
Great Western Railway advised people not to travel. It said: “Due to heavy rainfall forecast on already flooded ground, Great Western Railway is advising people against starting their journey by rail. Those who have already travelled should consider making the return journey as soon as possible.
“With further flood warnings in place and the amount of rain forecast, Network Rail has identified key sites in Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall as being at risk of flooding from around 3pm. Trains may not be able to operate through these areas.”
The direct route between Swindon and Bristol Parkway remained closed due to flooding.
The Environment Agency said it was investigating a spill of raw sewage from a flooded treatment works in Surrey. A spokesperson said: “We are aware of the ongoing situation at Horley sewage treatment works, which is completely unacceptable. We have recorded non-compliances against Thames Water for breaching their permit, and our officers are actively investigating this incident.”
