Storm Christoph: Boris Johnson warns ‘more flooding to come’ as severe warnings remain in place

Boris Johnson has warned there will be more flooding to come next week amid severe “danger to life” flood warnings as Storm Christoph batters parts of the country.

There are currently nearly 200 flood warnings in place across the UK – with 162 in England and 23 for Wales.

On a visit to Disbury, Manchester, today, where people in around 2,000 homes were advised to evacuate due to flooding and heavy snow in the region, the prime minister said the Environment Agency had used sluice gates and “improvised emergency flood defences”.

“I think 10,000 homes in the Manchester area, in the Didsbury area, have been protected just as a result of what they have been doing overnight,” he told reporters.

“There will be more to come, there will be further rain next week, so it is vital that people who are in potentially affected areas follow the advice and get the Environment Agency flood alerts where they can.”

A severe flood warning has been issued for the River Dee at Farndon in Cheshire, with river levels expected to peak between 9.5 to 10 metres into Thursday evening, according to the Environment Agency, which added that “flooding of property is imminent”.

Its other warnings in the North West are for River Bollin and Agden Brook at Little Bollington, and the River Bollin at Heatley.

The key areas that remain affected by flooding risks are:

• Didsbury
• Northenden
• Wales
• York

Superintendent Julie Westgate, from Cheshire Constabulary, said many residents had been evacuated in Warrington, Northwich, Chester, Ellesmere Port and Tattenhall.

Earlier, Cheshire Fire and Rescue said it was in the process of rescuing 21 people by boat from Lea Court nursing home in the town of Warrington.

Northwich Police said numerous agencies are still assisting with flooding in the town as roads had been closed, with pedestrians urged to avoid the area due to footpaths being “under numerous inches of water”.

Flooding also blocked the East Coast Main Line between Darlington and York, with warnings more services between Leeds and York could be affected, according to train operator LNER.

In Shropshire, there have been flood warnings along the River Severn, where there is a risk to property and farmland.

In Wales, families were told to leave their homes in Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham, after a severe flood warning was issued overnight.

Natural Resources Wales also issued severe flood warnings for the Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadows.

It warned people to be vigilant, saying that while levels had started to drop in some areas, “some slow responding catchments such as the Severn and the Wye are still responding and may lead to further warnings being issued”.

North Wales has also had snow and some homes near the river in Ruthin, Denbighshire, have already flooded.

The fire brigade has been pumping water from the area and police tweeted that they were helping with evacuations.

Dafydd Vaughan, who lives in the town, told Sky News the situation there was “unbelievable” and “bizarre” – with snow now compounding the flooding situation.

A severe flood warning for parts of Manchester has been stood down after the “worst-case scenario” was avoided when Didsbury Basin did not “significantly overflow”, the city council said.

But Greater Manchester Police warned of the risk of “treacherous ice” on the roads before urging drivers to be cautious and only travel if necessary.

Provisional figures showed that Cleveland in North Yorkshire was hit with more than its average January rainfall in just 48 hours as heavy downpours lashed parts of the country.

The Met Office has issued three yellow warnings, with an ice warning in place until 10am on Friday covering western Scotland, North West England, Northern Ireland and much of Wales.

Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “Colder air is now established across the UK as Storm Christoph moves away into the North Sea, and gale force winds will impact the northeast of the country.”

(c) Sky News 2021: Storm Christoph: Boris Johnson warns ‘more flooding to come’ as severe warnings remain in place