UK - East coast braced for flooding

The east coast of England was tonight bracing itself for severe flooding as a tidal surge made its way in from the North Sea.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown chaired an emergency Cobra committee meeting and the Environment Agency (EA) issued eight severe flood warnings as the surge – a combination of gale force winds and a high tide – approached.

The EA warned of “extreme danger to life and property” in coastal areas of Norfolk and Suffolk and parts of Kent and Essex, and hundreds of people have already been evacuated.

The Dartford Creek and Thames barriers were closing tonight to defend against the surge, the agency said.

In a brief statement to the Commons, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn warned of potentially serious flooding over the next 48 hours.

Mr Benn told MPs: “A tidal surge of up to three metres is making its way down the North Sea which could coincide with peak high tides.

“There is a risk of flood defences being over-topped on the coast and in tidal rivers, especially in East Anglia, particularly the Norfolk Broads and the coast south of Great Yarmouth including Lowestoft, and areas south of this as far as the coast of Kent.”

Met Office forecasters said a combination of north-westerly winds exceeding 50 mph, low pressure and high tides could lead to severe flooding in the early hours of tomorrow morning and during the afternoon.

The EA said areas at greatest risk were the Broads and the coast south of Great Yarmouth including Lowestoft and Felixstowe.

Barbara Young, chief executive of the EA, said: “We are concerned that the current weather conditions over the North Sea combined with high tides could cause some significant flooding on the coast.

“Environment Agency officers are out on the ground monitoring the situation, preparing for any flooding and advising and warning the people affected.”

The main area of concern was East Anglia, although flooding could stretch from Immingham in Humberside to Margate in Kent, she said.

“We have already made more than 12,500 calls direct to individuals affected through our Flood Warnings Direct system but we are urging people to be vigilant, listen to local news reports and check our website or call Floodline 0845 988 1188 for the latest flood situation.

“It’s also a good idea to check on elderly relatives and neighbours to see if they are okay,” she said.

The EA is predicting the highest water levels will hit Immingham (Humberside) at around 4.30am and the East Anglian coast along the Broads coast, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft between 7am and 8am.

Andy Batchelor, the Thames tidal flood risk manager, said: “We are continuing to monitor the weather and tidal situation closely and we will close the Thames Barrier again should we need to protect the 1.25 million people living and working in London’s floodplain.”

Norfolk police said tonight it was evacuating vulnerable people living in low lying areas, including 200 people in care homes and patients at Northgate Hospital.

Officers were also checking door to door in areas most at risk of flooding and sandbagging was under way in Great Yarmouth.

Residents in low-lying areas of the Suffolk coast were tonight being advised to leave their homes.

A Suffolk police spokeswoman said: “Those most likely to be vulnerable to flooding should leave their properties and seek shelter with friends and family outside the affected area if possible.”

Leisure centres in Lowestoft and Leiston, as well as Beccles Public Hall, were being made available to the public.

From the north Kent coast around to Sandwich and Deal, people were being asked to be vigilant and to watch weather and tide warnings.

An EA spokesman likened the current conditions to those leading up to the floods of 1953 – when large parts of East Anglia were left under water.

“In 1953, there was a 3.2-metre surge and also high tides and a storm. It’s comparable but we’re much better prepared now,” he said.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said council emergency planning teams were on full alert in areas with severe weather warnings.

Local authorities were on standby to provide rest centres for residents who are unable to return home because of weather or flood damage.

Chairman of the LGA environment board Paul Bettison said: “Anyone living by a river, coastal or flood risk area must be prepared.”

He urged people to sign up to the Environment Agency’s automated warning system, so they received a call the moment there was a risk their home could flood.

People should also move all their valuables and irreplaceable items such as passports, certificates and wedding photos upstairs and out of the way, he added.

The North Sea conditions were also causing problems for the authorities in the Netherlands on Thursday.

Coastal flood defences were put on alert, with the harbour in Rotterdam set to be closed off by a storm surge barrier.