Press release

Environment Agency warns people to be flood aware this weekend

People are urged to take care in exposed areas, keep clear of promenades and avoid putting themselves or others at risk.

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Check your flood risk before you travel and don't risk driving through flood water

There is a risk of localised river and surface water flooding in north-west England and Yorkshire (including York) from Friday evening into Saturday due to the heavy rain forecast. This could cause minor impacts including disruption to travel, and flooding to low-lying land and individual properties.

High sea levels could also bring a low risk of coastal flooding along parts of the coast of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex on Friday and over the weekend, especially during the high tides of Saturday evening and early Sunday morning. This could cause localised disruption to travel and also flooding to low-lying land and individual properties along the coast.

Pete Fox, flood risk manager at the Environment Agency, said:

We are monitoring the situation closely, working alongside partners, including the Met Office and local authorities, and will issue alerts and warnings as required.

We urge people to stay vigilant, know their flood risk and keep up to date with the latest situation on the GOV.UK website or follow @EnvAgency and #floodaware on Twitter for the latest flood updates.

The outlook for the next few days is very different to conditions in December 2013, when the jet stream moving across the Atlantic took the storms right across the UK, as this time it is travelling much further north. The storms will follow the jet stream’s path around the coast of Scotland, resulting in some strong winds and high water levels in the North Sea on Friday and into the weekend, especially around the coasts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. Although there is a risk of flooding, the likelihood of significant disruption remains low.

Updates to this page

Published 9 January 2015