UK flooding: Severe warnings withdrawn with river levels predicted to fall

Emergency teams were out in force this weekend pumping away floodwater across northern England

A digger is used to improve drainage in Glenridding in the Lake District (AFP/Getty)

Flooded communities across the UK will enjoy some respite with river levels predicted to fall, despite more heavy rainfall.

Yellow warnings of rain were issued for Northern Ireland, north-east England, parts of Wales and Cornwall for Sunday but severe flood warnings were withdrawn on Friday following emergency work by the Environment Agency (EA) to bolster flood defences.

Floodwaters in York have receded, but the EA warned residents to remain “vigilant” as the River Ouse will remain high. Emergency teams were out in force this weekend pumping away floodwater across northern England, repairing defences, clearing blocked rivers and monitoring water levels. Over 40 additional pumps have been dispatched to the region to ensure that floodwater is pumped away as fast as river levels will allow.

Craig Woolhouse, director of incident management at the EA, said: “Thankfully it is now an improving weather picture across most of the country.

“We will continue to work closely with local authorities in the coming weeks to support their recovery efforts and still have teams working around the clock to protect communities and pump away floodwater.”

In England, 26 low-risk flood warnings and 80 flood alerts were in place in Devon, Worcestershire, West Dorset, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire and Cumbria today.

The EA said there could be flooding along the Rivers Ouse in York and Severn in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire on Sunday and Monday.

A clean-up in Dumfries and Aberdeenshire, the areas in Scotland worst-affected by Storm Frank, continued. The Met Office issued an amber warning for rain in eastern Scotland.

Hundreds of Scottish homes were evacuated and thousands were left without power by rain and high winds on Wednesday.

Police have confirmed that a man died on Wednesday as after he fell from a canoe into the rapid-flowing River Garry in the Highlands, bringing the death toll from Storm Frank to two.

Nine flood warnings and three flood alerts were in place in Scotland today.