Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements
Heavy rain and thunderstorms on Monday 23 September have led to flooding in parts of England.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms on Monday 23 September have led to flooding in parts of England. These impacts include a combination of surface water flooding and some flooding from small, largely urban watercourses. At least 45 properties have flooded across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Kent and the Home Counties.
Environment Agency staff are out on the ground, clearing blockages and supporting local authorities in their response work.
Flooding on roads is likely to lead to travel disruption. We advise people to follow the advice of local emergency services on the roads and not to drive through flood water – just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float a car.
The flood risk reduces tomorrow with a drier day forecast, but for the moment we continue to urge people to keep an eye on the weather, check their flood risk, and take care planning their journeys.
Sarah Cook, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
Due to heavy persistent rain and thunderstorms, there have been localised surface water flooding impacts in parts of England today.
Environment Agency teams are out on the ground, and ready to support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding. We urge people to plan their journeys carefully, follow the advice of local emergency services on the roads and not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.
People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation as well as following @EnvAgency on X, formerly Twitter, for the latest flood updates.
The Environment Agency recognises the threat from surface water flooding, and is taking action to improve the country’s resilience – for instance supporting local flood authorities to enhance local surface water flood risk mapping. See our blog on surface water flooding for more information.