Flood alert for homes as wet winter looms

WInTER this year could be wetter than normal – with households being urged to be prepared for the risk of flooding.

Met office forecasts indicate there is an above-average chance of the next three months having more rain than normal, with January and February holding the worst of the weather.

The Environment Agency is urging people to check their local flood risk online, sign up for warnings and be prepared in case their home is affected. It comes after a survey by the agency revealed 30 per cent of households in at-risk areas have not taken any steps to prepare for their home flooding.

If replicated across England this could mean up to 1.5million homes at risk of flooding are unprepared. Will Lang, of the Met office, said: ‘When looking at the big global drivers that impact weather in the UK there are indications this winter could be wetter than normal.’ The Environment Agency estimates 5.2million properties in England are at risk.

The agency said it has 250 mobile pumps and 6,000 trained staff ready to protect communities this winter, while construction and repair of flood defences have also continued throughout the year.

In october, when parts of the country saw a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours, some 79 households were flooded but more than 3,300 properties were protected by flood defences and quick action. But Caroline Douglass of the Environment Agency warned: ‘now is the time for us all to be vigilant, not complacent, about flooding.’

It came after it emerged that the Met office’s winter forecast is at odds with the BBC’s longterm prediction. DTn, which provides the corporation’s service, predicts cold weather in the months to January, rather than mild.

John Hammond, who co-runs forecasting agency Weather-trending, said: ‘It’s meteorological mayhem with huge disagreement on what happens in the months ahead.’