20 more years of flooding misery
Britain soaked by double the normal rainfall – and another deluge is due this weekend
SOLVING the flooding problems that have devastated parts of Somerset could take 20 years, the Environment Secretary admitted last night.
Owen Paterson spoke out as troops were put on standby to rescue stranded residents who have suffered a month of floods. Further downpours and a tidal surge predicted for this weekend are likely to swell already bursting rivers.
The forecast came as official figures showed that southern England has had the wettest January since records began more than 100 years ago, with some areas seeing double the normal rainfall.
SOUTHERN England has seen the wettest January since records began more than 100 years ago, official statistics show.
By Tuesday – with three days of the month still to go – an area from Hampshire to Kent surpassed the highest rainfall record since the Met Office first compiled records in 1910.
Most parts of the UK have seen far more than the average rainfall for the month, with many areas experiencing double.
Further downpours brought flooding to several areas yesterday, including Twickenham in West London. And another band of heavy rain will sweep across the country today, causing yet more flooding as it falls on already saturated ground.
Over the weekend, fierce winds, torrential rain and a tidal surge are set to bring more misery – including to areas such as the Somerset Levels already hit by weeks of severe flooding. Gales and huge waves could swamp coastal flood defences and sea walls, flood properties and cause travel chaos.
A storm will sweep in at 60mph from the Atlantic this morning and most parts of the UK will see heavy rain by lunchtime.
More than an inch is expected to fall in a few hours, heralding at least six more days of unsettled weather.
Coastal and tidal areas of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Bristol and south Gloucestershire are also at an increased risk of flooding, the Environment Agency said.
The rest of Gloucestershire, parts of the South East, the North West and Yorkshire and Hull coast will also be affected by the wind, rain and high tides in the next few days.
Flood barriers were erected in Shrewsbury last night to protect against a rise in the level of the Severn. The Environment Agency issued 35 flood warnings and 164 flood alerts. The Met Office issued an amber alert for the South West and yellow alerts stretching across the South Coast and into parts of the Midlands.
Experts say there is no sign of the unsettled weather dispersing for at least ten days, making it likely the country will have endured the wettest winter on record by the end of February.
Southern England saw nearly 7in (175.2mm) of rain between January 1 and 28. The previous record for the region, in January 1988, was 6.2in (158.2mm).
The rainfall across the South West and south Wales reached 8.76in (222.6mm), making January 2014 the fifth wettest on record and wettest since 1995.
Even in Suffolk, a dry area of the country, it has rained for 29 days this month, the highest since records began. A Met Office spokesman said: ‘For the UK as a whole, 6.48in (164.6mm) of rain has fallen so far this month, 35 per cent above the long-term average.’
Dr Andrew Barrett, of the University of Reading, said: ‘There’s effectively a storm factory over the Atlantic, caused by cold polar air pressing up against warm, tropical air, causing weather systems to form.
‘These have then been steered across Britain by a strong jet stream. The next week to ten days shows no sign of a change... this will almost certainly be the wettest winter on record.’