Press release

Public urged to check flood risk as high tides continue

Environment Agency warns of possible flooding on the Severn Estuary

From:
Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published
26 February 2020
Last updated
13 March 2020 — See all updates
This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government
Several bright, red roadblocks placed in a road to warn against flooding up ahead. One sign says road closed and the other reads flood.

Environment Agency urges continued vigilance as spring tides continue

With high spring tides expected this the weekend, the Environment Agency is advising people to check their flood risk online.

Coastal flooding is possible today (Friday) along parts of the Severn Estuary in Gloucestershire due to high spring tides. Localised coastal flooding is also possible for parts of the Kent coast and the north-east coast of England as high tides coincide with large waves.

Localised river flooding could also affect areas along the River Severn today and tomorrow (Saturday). Following the recent heavy rain, groundwater flooding is likely to continue in parts of the south of England for at least the next five days, leading to localised flooding of land and roads.

The Environment Agency’s recovery work following Storms Ciara and Dennis continues, including on the Lower Aire in Yorkshire where there are around 14 pumps in operation removing floodwater from the washlands.

Environment Agency teams have already carried out more than 11,000 inspections on our flood defences across England. Over the course of this winter, over 128,000 properties have been protected by flood defences.

Doug Wilson, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

With high spring tides expected to cause flooding along parts of the Severn Estuary over the weekend, we are advising people to keep checking their flood risk online, sign up to flood warnings, and not to drive or walk through flood water.

We continue to have teams out on the ground operating tidal gates, monitoring tides and clearing drainage channels to help reduce flood risk due to expected high river levels.

People can keep up to date with the latest safety advice by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188, by following @EnvAgency on Twitter, or by checking GOV.UK for the latest flood updates.

Updates to this page

Published 26 February 2020
Last updated 13 March 2020 + show all updates

  1. We have updated the content of this page to reflect the evolving flood situation.

  2. The article has been amended to reflect the changing flood situation.

  3. This page has been updated to reflect the changing flood situation across England

  4. We have updated GOV UK with the latest weather outlook for this weekend.

  5. The document has been updated to reflect the changing flood situation.

  6. We have updated GOV UK to reflect the current situation

  7. Updated with new information on 29 February 2020.

  8. We have updated to reflect Environment Agency developments.

  9. First published.