Closing summary
We’re ending our live coverage of the fallout from Storm Henk. Here are the day’s main developments:
Labour has accused Rishi Sunak of being “asleep at the wheel” over flood warnings at the end of a week in which swathes of England and Wales have been underwater and at least 1,000 properties flooded
Sunak has said that people affected by flooding should be “reassured” that Environment Agency staff are working urgently on the problems.
Flooding severely affected rail services in the west of England, with parts of the mainline to Wales closed. Great Western Railway and South Western Railway have urged passengers to check before travel with many trains unable to run as planned
The Environment Agency warned “significant surface water and river flooding impacts” could continue on Friday after rain from Storm Henk battered England overnight
Ten fire engines and around 700 firefighters were called to flooding in Hackney, east London, overnight after a canal burst its banks
The Environment Agency issued more than 300 flood warnings and 330 flood alerts for England and Wales
You can read our full report on the day’s developments here:
Sunak says people affected by flooding should be 'reassured' Environment Agency staff are addressing problems urgently
Rishi Sunak has said that people affected by flooding should be “reassured” that Environment Agency staff are working urgently on the problems.
The opposition parties have accused Sunak of not taking the crisis seriously enough. Labour said in a statement that Sunak had been “asleep at the wheel and must act now or risk further damage to lives and livelihoods”. The Liberal Democrats said Sunak should have been visiting flood victims today.
In a broadcast interview this morning, asked about the government’s response to the flooding, Sunak said:
“I spoke to people in the East Midlands yesterday who had been affected and talking to them about how devastating the impact of flooding is.
I just want people to be reassured that the Environment Agency has got people on the ground in all the affected areas, also hundreds of high volume pumps are in practice right now making a difference and it is important that people follow the advice that has been given in local areas where there are flood warnings that have been given.
People should be reassured. The Environment Agency have people on the ground everywhere, absolutely recognise the urgency of what is happening and they are responding appropriately and with all due haste.”
Andrew Sparrow has full coverage of the latest in politics on a separate live blog.
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Here are some of the latest pictures from the agencies
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People affected by flooding should be 'reassured' Environment Agency is working urgently, Rishi Sunak says
Rishi Sunak has said people should be “reassured” that Environment Agency staff are working urgently to address problems caused by widespread flooding in the UK.
On a visit to the north-west of England, the prime minister said he had spoken to people affected by flooding in the East Midlands on Thursday about “how devastating” flooding could be.
I spoke to people in the East Midlands yesterday who had been affected and talking to them about how devastating the impact of flooding is.
I just want people to be reassured that the Environment Agency has got people on the ground in all the affected areas, also hundreds of high-volume pumps are in practice right now making a difference, and it is important that people follow the advice that has been given in local areas where there are flood warnings that have been given.
People should be reassured. The Environment Agency have people on the ground everywhere, absolutely recognise the urgency of what is happening and they are responding appropriately and with all due haste.”
Earlier, Labour said the government was “asleep at the wheel” and called for a “Cobra-style taskforce” to protect homes from further damage.
The Liberal Democrats said: “If Rishi Sunak actually met with people impacted by this annual carnage, then he might do something about it.”
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While observations showed large variability in annual, seasonal and decadal rainfall, there had been a marked increase in winter rainfall in the most recent decade with 2014, 2016 and 2020 all in the top five wettest, said Dr Emily Wallace, a Met Office fellow in climate extremes.
As the atmosphere warms due to human-induced climate change it can hold more moisture, at a rate of around 7% more moisture for every degree of warming. On a simple level, this explains why in many regions of the world projections show an increase in precipitation as a consequence of human-induced climate change.”
Wallace added: “In the future, climate projections for the UK indicate there being a greater risk of heavy precipitation and prolonged events in the future, particularly during winter.”
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UK Health Security Agency issues a cold weather alert as temperatures expected to plummet in coming days
A cold weather alert has been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) with temperatures set to plummet over the coming days. The warning comes into force at 9am on Saturday and expires at noon on 12 January.
The Met Office added that the cold snap would be caused by high pressure building over the UK into the next week, with drivers urged to be cautious of ice.
The UKHSA said: “A brisk easterly wind developing across the south over the weekend will make it feel much colder, with the added wind chill.
“Temperatures are likely to be a few degrees below average, across much of the UK, especially overnight, with more widespread frosts than of late. Ice is likely to be an issue for many given the very wet ground in most areas. It is probably this cold spell may last well into the following week.”
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Conditions are “turning considerably drier and improving all the time”, said a Met Office spokesperson, Oli Claydon, adding that the weather service had no rain warnings issued “for the first time in quite a while”.
He said the spell of rain that hit southern England on Thursday was moving eastwards across the North Sea, leaving “some scattered showers across parts of the UK”, mostly in the north-eastern parts of Scotland.
Claydon told the PA news agency: “We’re heading to a more settled spell of weather, which will be very welcome for many people across the UK after what’s been a very wet start to 2024.
He said the “improved picture” would continue into next week as high pressure started to build and “assert its dominance over UK weather”.
He said things would “turn a bit chillier” on Monday because of an easterly flow of cold air across the southern half of the UK, adding that the breezy conditions would “make it feel really cold”.
It comes after the disruption caused by strong winds and rain from Storm Henk earlier in the week, which has left the ground saturated and more prone to flooding.
Nottinghamshire county council declared a major incident on Thursday due to rising levels along the River Trent, and several residents of Radcliffe Residential Park, an estate of static caravans for the over-55s just to the east of the city, were evacuated.
Parts of southern England including Gloucestershire were also submerged. In east London, about 50 people were led to safety by firefighters overnight after a canal burst its banks in Hackney Wick, causing flooding in an area of about 4 hectares (10 acres).
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People in the UK: Have you been affected by flooding this winter?
We’d like to hear from people who experienced flooding recently, whether it affected their homes, communities or journeys
Rain has soaked many parts of the UK over the past few days and more wet and windy weather is forecast.
Storm Henk is expected to bring winds of up to 80 mph and heavy rain across much of southern England and Wales on Tuesday, with the Met Office issuing amber and yellow warnings.
As of Tuesday lunchtime, there were 141 flood warnings in place for England, meaning flooding “is expected”.
For Wales, there were 18 flood warnings, one of which was severe, while Scotland had one flood warning.
Share your experience
Tell us if you’ve experienced flooding in your community or while travelling in the UK recently, and how this has affected you.
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Labour has accused the government of being 'asleep at the wheel' over flood warnings
The party wants Rishi Sunak to convene a “Cobra-style taskforce” to protect homes from further damage.
In a joint statement the shadow Cabinet Office minister, Pat McFadden, and the shadow environment secretary, Steve Reed, said: “The Conservatives have brushed over the risk of flooding for too long and communities are paying the price.
“Rishi Sunak has been asleep at the wheel and he must act now or risk further damage to lives and livelihoods.
“This is not about extra money. This is about ensuring that the budget already committed to flood defences is used to maximum effect. If that doesn’t happen, homes across the country will remain exposed.
“Labour would create a Cobra-style flood resilience taskforce to coordinate flood preparation and protect more households from the threats posed by climate change and flooding.”
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Across the UK, the period between July and December 2023 was the wettest on record dating from 1890, according to the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH).
Autumn rainfall between September and November for UK was 22% above average, says UKCEH, followed by a wet December, which saw rainfall 70% above average for some areas in central and northern England and eastern Scotland.
According to data from the UK Water Resources Portal, 43% of 800 gauging locations in England and Scotland had exceptionally high river flows during December, while 71% of the 800 locations had notably or exceptionally high flows.
Rick Stafford, chair of the British Ecological Society Policy Committee and a professor at Bournemouth University, said:
While we are seeing an increased intensity of rainfall, as a result of climate change, we are also not utilising nature sufficiently to help mitigate the risk of floods. Nature-based solutions, such as restoring peatbogs and wetlands, or planting trees in some upland areas, can help regulate the flow of rainwater to rivers and prevent flood risks. Some of these measures can also boost biodiversity and help capture carbon from the atmosphere and can be a real win-win situation for people and nature.”
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UK floods – and deaths – will keep rising without proper defences and conservation
Analysis by the Guardian’s environment reporter Helena Horton
Large areas of England are submerged under murky floodwater, with homes damaged, farm crops rotting, and rail routes and roads unusable.
The UK is a rainy country, and some parts of it are quite used to regular floods, but the situation is worsening. Global climate breakdown caused by the burning of fossil fuels is causing more unpredictable and extreme weather events and the domestic infrastructure is underfunded and cannot cope sufficiently.
The practical consequences of increased flooding and a lack of investment in defences include increasing numbers of people being stuck in homes they cannot insure, let alone sell, businesses suffering in the autumn and winter seasons, food production facing devastating hits, and transport routes becoming unusable at times. And more people will die.
This week, Storm Henk followed Agnes, Babet and Debi, which came earlier in the winter and caused destruction of their own. The heavy rain comes at a time when the country is already sodden, with rivers and soils unable to take any more water.
Rishi Sunak should visit areas impacted by flooding, the Liberal Democrats have said
The party’s spokesperson for housing and communities, Helen Morgan, said: “The prime minister should see for himself the devastation caused by these floods. People’s homes and businesses have been ruined yet again.
“If Rishi Sunak actually met with people impacted by this annual carnage, then he might do something about it.
“Under this government flood protection plans for homes have been disgracefully slashed. This must be reversed immediately.
“This has to be the last year areas like mine in Shropshire are left to fend for themselves against floods.”
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Footage showing a narrowboat pushed sideways against a bridge as water streams past it on the River Soar in Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, was filmed by a local resident on Thursday amid widespread flooding in the Midlands.
Local resident Sam Harper Ard, 27, told PA news agency: “I live in the village and take my kayak out regularly on that stretch of the River Soar and I’ve never seen it so high.”
The PR manager said that “narrowboats are a real part of the community here” so seeing a canal boat affected by the flooding was “really sad”.
“I hope the owners and everyone involved is safe,” he said.
Severe disruption across rail network with west of England badly hit and parts of Wales mainline closed
Flooding has severely affected rail services in the west of England, with parts of the mainline to Wales closed.
Great Western Railway and South Western Railway have urged passengers to check before travel with many trains unable to run as planned.
Heavy rain has caused disruption around the network and rendered some points impassable, with landslips and damage to trees
GWR, which runs trains between London and Wales and the southwest, said that three lines were flooded, between Swindon and Bristol Parkway, Reading and Taunton, and Didcot Parkway and Oxford.
Some services could be rerouted with long delays but many would be cancelled, GWR warned, with a minimal rail replacement service.
The weather problems for GWR have been compounded by an incident in Reading that cancelled services on Thursday evening and left trains and crews out of place.
South Western said that while it expected water levels to drop and most of its network to reopen later on Friday, it would not be able to operate services between Yeovil Junction and Exeter because of a landslip near Crewkerne.
It said there would be disruption throughout the day because of displaced trains and crews.
Many local roads, especially in the west of England, were closed by flooding on Thursday, while on the major road network, the A421 in Bedfordshire between the M1 motorway and the A6 was impassable on Friday. National Highways said work was being carried out to clear the flood water.
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In Gloucestershire, police warned of road closures due to rising water levels around Tewkesbury.
An evacuation centre was set up in the nearby village Walton Cardiff while people living on Alney Island, between two branches of the River Severn, in nearby Gloucester were urged to leave their homes overnight for a nearby leisure centre.
Nottinghamshire county council declared a major incident on Thursday due to rising levels along the River Trent and several residents of Radcliffe Residential Park, an estate of static caravans for the over-55s just to the east of the city, were evacuated.
Caroline Douglass, the Environment Agency’s flood director, said the Trent was at “some of the highest levels we’ve seen in 24 years”.
She told BBC Breakfast more than 1,000 properties had been flooded across England this week, with that figure likely to increase.
Douglass added: “We have had very wide rainfall.
Over November and December, following Storm Babet and Storm Ciaran, the ground was incredibly saturated right across the country, particularly in the east. But also that’s just been topped up over the pre-Christmas period. That rainfall from this week has just added to that, so there’s really nowhere for the water to go. The ground is completely saturated so in that situation we get more flooding and greater impacts than we’ve seen and probably in areas where people aren’t used to.”
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Here are the latest images coming across the wires:
The highest rainfall totals recorded on Thursday were 35.2mm at Otterbourne in Hampshire, with a wide range of 20-30mm across much of the southern counties of England.
The Environment Agency said the impact of surface water and river flooding would continue to be “significant” across parts of England over the next five days.
Train companies have also been affected by the deluge, with Great Western Railway warning that several lines remain closed due to flooding, including between Swindon and Bristol Parkway, Reading and Castle Cary, and Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall.
A landslip at Arlesey in Bedfordshire was also affecting Thameslink services.
Hundreds of flood warnings remain in place across England
While the worst of the rain has passed, the Environment Agency still has more than 300 flood warnings in place across England.
There are also more than 330 flood alerts.
Flood warnings are for areas where flooding is expected. Flood alerts are for areas where flooding is possible but less likely.
There are also 13 flood warnings in place for Wales.
You can check for warnings and alerts near you on the Environment Agency website.
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Seventy firefighters called in to help with Hackney flooding
Ten fire engines and around 700 firefighters were called to flooding in Hackney, east London, overnight after a canal burst its banks.
The London Fire Brigade says 10 acres of properties were affected.
Around 50 people were led to safety.
Station commander Dan Capon, who was at the scene, said:
Firefighters worked through the night to ensure the scene was safe and evacuated a number of people from surrounding buildings.
We urged people to avoid the area where possible. Remember - if your property is affected by flooding, move to a higher level where possible.
Firefighters have now left the scene of flooding in #HackneyWick.
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) January 5, 2024
Crews carried out welfare checks and around 50 people were led to safety https://t.co/FR0ViPtcxp pic.twitter.com/DG92dBwexs
Significant impact of flooding possible across England today - Environment Agency
The Environment Agency has said “significant surface water and river flooding impacts” could continue today.
The EA’s Stefan Laeger 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.
Showers will continue on Friday morning, according to forecasters, and are likely to affect parts of south-west and eastern England, Wales and areas in Scotland.
Storm Henk leaves flooded homes and roads across England
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.”
