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Flood-hit areas on weather alert Flood-hit areas on weather alert
(about 3 hours later)
Flood-hit communities are being warned to brace themselves for more torrential rain over the weekend.Flood-hit communities are being warned to brace themselves for more torrential rain over the weekend.
The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for large areas of England and Wales, with up to 50mm (2in) of rain forecast in some places. The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for large areas of England and Wales, with up to 40mm of rain forecast in some places.
A national flood support centre has been set up in Worcester to respond to further outbreaks of severe weather.A national flood support centre has been set up in Worcester to respond to further outbreaks of severe weather.
Widespread flooding in England earlier this week killed four people and forced thousands from their homes.Widespread flooding in England earlier this week killed four people and forced thousands from their homes.
Extra resourcesExtra resources
Simon Hughes, flood defence manager for the Environment Agency, told BBC Radio Five Live that more flooding was expected. Martin Blunden from Hereford and Worcester Fire Service is helping to co-ordinate work at the flood support centre, which is gathering information from emergency services across the country to co-ordinate responses to reports of flooding.
"With the land being just so saturated, more rain's going to mean more flooding," he said. Mr Blunden told BBC News 24 that an action plan was already being put into place, moving teams to Humberside to assist with flooding expected there later on Saturday.
"We're really urging people to be prepared - find out if they're in a place that may flood, and take some simple steps now to prepare themselves if it does flood." HAVE YOUR SAY The Government needs to build a comprehensive flood protection system Nick, Oxford class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=6665&start=0&edition=1&ttl=20070625114020">Send us your comments
Catcliffe, South Yorkshire, was one of the worst affected areas He said: "Humberside is coping with floods and the water levels they've currently got.
However the agency said floods were not expected "to reach the severity seen earlier in the week". "With the Met Office and the Environment Agency, we're looking at what is likely to happen in the UK later on this afternoon, this evening and into tomorrow, and we're making sure that appropriate resources are in place for when that actually happens."
Worcester's newly-created national flood support centre will be gathering information from emergency services across the country to co-ordinate responses to reports of flooding. Further developments include:
Details will be fed to a central office in Manchester, which will organise the deployment of extra resources.
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  • Electricity has been restored to more than 80,000 homes affected by rains and flooding in South Yorkshire, but 400 homes still have no power
It will be run by the chief fire officer of the Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, Paul Hayden, who has been a strong critic of the response to this week's floods.
  • Rainfall of 15-25mm (0.6-1in) is predicted across many parts of England and Wales but there could be up to 40mm in some places
    • "Because we haven't got standardisation of our equipment and our training, it does mean we aren't as effective as we otherwise could be," he told the BBC.
  • Simon Hughes of the Environment Agency, said more flooding was expected: "With the land being just so saturated, more rain's going to mean more flooding."
    • Rainfall of 15-25mm (0.6-1in) is predicted across many parts of England and Wales but there could be up to 50mm in some places.
  • The Met Office said the worst of the heavy rain would be seen in western England and Wales during Saturday
    • The Met Office said the worst of the heavy rain would be seen in western England and Wales during Saturday.
  • More than 350 people were evacuated from their homes in north Doncaster after the river burst its banks
    • Because the ground is already saturated, "there is potential for further disruption", its website warns.
  • The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said so far 27,000 homes and 5,000 businesses had been affected across the country and that clean-up costs could reach £1bn
    • Insurance costs
    This week's floods were most severe in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Midlands. At the height of the flooding, two people died in Sheffield, including a teenage boy, a man died in Hull and a driver died in Worcestershire.
    HAVE YOUR SAY The Government needs to build a comprehensive flood protection system. Nick, Oxford Send us your comments
    On Friday, five severe flood warnings remained in place in north-east England, with four on the River Don in South Yorkshire.
    More than 350 people were evacuated from their homes in north Doncaster after the river burst its banks.
    The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said so far 27,000 homes and 5,000 businesses had been affected across the country and that clean-up costs could reach £1bn.
    The organisation's director general, Stephen Haddrill, said insurers were drafting in extra staff, but there would be some delays in handling claims because of the scale of the flooding.
    Cash call
    Meanwhile, the Environment Agency is calling on the government to find more cash to encourage farmers to manage their land in a way that would prevent flooding.Meanwhile, the Environment Agency is calling on the government to find more cash to encourage farmers to manage their land in a way that would prevent flooding.
    Catcliffe, South Yorkshire, was one of the worst affected areas
    The agency's head, Baroness Young, says money should be diverted from the basic farm subsidy and given to those farmers who are prepared to give up the intensive techniques experts say make flooding more likely.The agency's head, Baroness Young, says money should be diverted from the basic farm subsidy and given to those farmers who are prepared to give up the intensive techniques experts say make flooding more likely.
    She says farmers should be paid to plant more trees, allow land beside rivers to flood when necessary and to turn ploughed fields into meadows.She says farmers should be paid to plant more trees, allow land beside rivers to flood when necessary and to turn ploughed fields into meadows.
    But correspondent Miriam O'Reilly, of BBC Radio 4's Farming Today, said experts had acknowledged that the recent rainfall had been so heavy that no amount of money could have prevented rivers from bursting their banks.But correspondent Miriam O'Reilly, of BBC Radio 4's Farming Today, said experts had acknowledged that the recent rainfall had been so heavy that no amount of money could have prevented rivers from bursting their banks.
    This week's floods were most severe in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Midlands.
    Two people died in Sheffield, including a teenage boy, a man died in Hull and a driver died in Worcestershire.