Over 300 flood alerts have been issued in England while commuters experience transportation disruptions due to heavy rain and strong winds from Storm Henk. Train services are currently working to resume normal operations after being impacted by the weather.
According to the Environment Agency’s report on Wednesday, there are currently 368 active alerts across England for potential flooding. Of these, 322 are flood warnings, indicating that flooding is anticipated. Additionally, there is one severe flood warning in Northampton that poses a risk to life.
The Great Western Railway reported that flooding has caused obstructions in multiple areas of its network. The area near Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire has resulted in the closure of all lines between Swindon and Bristol Parkway.
Trains traveling from London Paddington to south Wales are currently taking a detour, causing an additional 40 minutes to be added to travel time. Due to flooding, the path between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall is inaccessible, and certain tracks are shut down between Totnes and Plymouth in Devon.
Train services on Greater Anglia were significantly disrupted late Tuesday night due to a storm, causing multiple incidents across the network.
According to an announcement, there is a possibility of service disruptions, cancellations, or delays on other lines. Greater Anglia and Network Rail will work overnight to restore services and minimize disruptions on Wednesday, January 3rd.
There are significant delays occurring in Norwich, Colchester, Peterborough, and Cambridge.
On Wednesday morning, South Western Railway and Network Rail released a joint statement stating that disruptions caused by the storm will persist throughout the day.
“We apologize for the inconvenience our customers faced yesterday as Storm Henk caused significant and widespread disruptions,” the statement explained.
Strong winds caused trees to fall on train tracks, resulting in damage and delays at various locations on our network.
On X, Great Northern Rail announced that there would be delays on the route from Cambridge to Ely and King’s Lynn until 10am on Wednesday. This is due to ongoing repairs of damaged overhead wires and the removal of a damaged train.
Southern Rail announced that there would be delays on Wednesday due to ongoing repairs between Uckfield, Buxted, and Crowborough.
Thameslink has reported that their services have resumed regular operation following disruptions on Tuesday.
The Lincolnshire fire and rescue department reported a total of 140 calls regarding flooding within the past 24 hours, with most of them originating from the southern part of the county.
The police in Leicestershire reported that many houses in Loughborough were impacted by flooding. As a result, they closed off Belton Road from the intersection of Jubilee Drive to Meadow Lane, as well as A426 Lutterworth Road from Little Glen Road to the Leicester Road Roundabout in Blaby.
Most of the flood alerts pertain to the central region of England, specifically Birmingham, Leicester, and Northampton.
According to Natural Resources Wales, there was a single severe flood warning, 15 flood warnings, and 39 flood alerts in Wales.
On Tuesday, Storm Henk caused damage to significant areas of southern England, the Midlands, East Anglia, and Wales.
A female individual sustained injuries from a tree that fell due to wind gusts reaching 94mph in Orpington, located in south-east London.
At 3:14pm on Tuesday, the Metropolitan police received a call reporting that a woman had been hit by a tree at Station Approach.
A representative from the police stated: “Police officers were present, along with paramedics from the London ambulance service and the London fire brigade.”
The woman was transported to a hospital, and it is not believed that her injuries are life-threatening. Her family has been notified.
The highest winds were documented at the Needles Old Battery on the Isle of Wight, with gusts reaching 94mph.
Exeter airport in Devon experienced gusts of 81mph, while the Isle of Portland in Dorset and Mumbles Head in Glamorgan both recorded top winds of 71mph.
According to the Energy Networks Association, who collects information from all energy companies, approximately 10,000 customers were experiencing power outages due to storm damage as of 7am on Wednesday.
According to Stefan Laeger, the flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, the ongoing heavy precipitation is likely to cause considerable flooding in the eastern region of England along the River Nene until Thursday.
The Warwickshire fire and rescue service responded to a call at The Ford in Kenilworth to assist a driver who became trapped while attempting to drive through flooded areas.
The representative stated that they utilized an inflatable sled to safely rescue the individuals in the car, given the rapid flow of the water. They advised others to steer clear of the affected area and not attempt to drive through flood water.
Source: theguardian.com
