The unprecedented weather on Friday - the equivalent of a month’s rain in an hour in some areas - has left tens of thousands of homes without clean water or electricity.
And as water levels in rivers across the Midlands and the South continue to rise, many more are still being evacuated.
The Environment Agency warned today that the worst is still to come, with 90,000 extra gallons a second surging into the river over the next four days. At their height, some rivers will be more than 20ft higher than normal.
Environmental Agency spokesman Anthony Perry said: “We have not seen
flooding of this magnitude before. The benchmark was 1947 and this has
already exceeded it.”
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The view from the air of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, after torrential rain flooded the area
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Nine severe flood warnings remain in place, including several on the Severn and Avon around Gloucester, Worcester and Evesham, as further rain added to the misery.
In Gloucestershire, the worst hit area, 350,000 people face water shortages, while more than 40,000 families were without power.
Tim Brain, chief constable of Gloucestershire Police, said emergency
services face unprecedented challenges and warned that the situation
could worsen.
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We have not seen flooding of this magnitude before.
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Environmental Agency spokesperson
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He said the force’s main priority was to keep power running at Walham
sub-station, which powers half a million homes. A steel barrier and
sandbags were used to stem the flow.
In Oxfordshire and Berkshire, at least 700 homes were flooded, while parts of Herefordshire were also without power.
The bill for damage was being conservatively estimated at more than £2billion, but the true cost is likely to be far higher with some of the most expensive parts of the country devastated.
Gordon Brown, who took a helicopter tour to survey the extensive damage, said the Government would set up a review into the flooding.
He said the amount of money spent on flood and coastal defences across the country would be increased from £600 to £800 million.
Beleaguered local authorities will receive extra funding to pay for emergency work to deal with the chaos.
The Prime Minister said: “Like every advanced industrialised country, we are coming to terms with the issues surrounding climate change.
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A man rides his bike through flooded Tewkesbury
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“We are going to have to look at drainage, surface water, as well as river water, and what we are going to be able to do in the future in relation to that.
“We will have to invest in coastal defences, flood defences and of course drainage in infrastructure in the years to come and that’s why we are setting aside more resources to do so.”
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said nothing could have guarded against the amount of rainfall in recent days.
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Children go fishing in flooded streets
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Mr Brown said he had full sympathy for those affected by the flooding, including those who have been evacuated from their homes or had operations cancelled.
Today, police closed the A361 river bridge at Shipton-under-Wychwood after it was damaged by the rising level of the River Thames.
Bedfordshire Police closed five bridges over the River Ouse and set up a refuge centre at a school in the village of Turvey.
North of Gloucester, the Castlemead electricity sub-station, which supplies more than 48,000 homes, was switched off as 150 firefighters and RAF servicemen battled to Up to 350,000 people in Gloucestershire will be left without water within the next 15 hours, as the River Severn and the Thames threaten to overflow.pump water out.
Water company Severn Trent sent 250 mini-tankers filled with water to key areas across Gloucestershire as more than 70,000 homes were expected to be without drinking water for several days.
It handed out 150,000 litres of bottled water at Tesco at Quedgeley and Sainsbury’s at Barnwood in Gloucester, as well as Tewkesbury Comprehensive School and Tewkesbury Borough Council offices
Sutton and East Surrey Water warned 80,000 households and businesses within its Sutton supply area to boil tap water before drinking it after the firm discovered rain had leaked into a tank of water which went out to customers.
As the floods continued to cause havoc, West Mercia Constabulary said many flood victims who had been forced to abandon their cars in south Worcestershire faced further misery from opportunist thieves.
The cost of the summer floods could make 2007 one of the worst years for insurers.
A spokeswoman for the Association of British Insurers said: “With June and July combined, we could see losses in excess of £2 billion.”
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PEOPLE ARE FRIENDLY AND MORAL IS GOOD
24.07.07, 7:15am
I've been stuck InTewkesbury since Friday, I do live here and at first it seemed like a pretty average little town until Friday came and all hell broke loose. It's been quite remarkable how the spirit of the people has actually increased in most cases. I'm not old enough to remember the war but it's probably just the same as when the Nazi's were bombing London, The Great British stiff upper lip was in full view. I moved here 3 months ago and having been in the Tsunami in Thailand this is not worth getting upset over. Be as helpfull as you can and don't make any demands, it will come good in the end....until next time.
• Posted by: Captain_Scarlet • Report Comment
FLOOD VICTIMS, NEVER FEAR BROWN IS HERE!
24.07.07, 2:02am
It's reassuring to know that we have a government with a wonderful track record in running our Country! I'm sure Mr Brown and his wonderful New Labour mob will sort things out, it must give some comfort to the flood victims at least eh?
By the way, the experts warnings and predictions about the dangers of building on flood plains, some might even suggest where the reason for the latest floods, is also a load of rubbish. I say this, because Yvette Cooper of Labour, told the Commons today that the government plan to build 3 million more homes before 2020 to accommodate the demand for their massive immigration plans, (oops! sorry! well, they missed that last bit of detail out) But there you go, further massive house building, some the government admit, will be on even more flood plains.
Nice to feel reassured, with New Labour at the helm though hey?
• Posted by: steveg • Report Comment
MIRACLE OF MIRACLES! THE BNP CAN DETERMINE THE WEATHER!
23.07.07, 7:21pm
The_Way_I_See_It
"WE ARE SINKING UNDER THE WEIGHT OF IMMIGRATION AND BULL****!
And nothiing will change until we are allowed to elect our own government and vote to leave Europe A.S.A.P. VOTE BNP"
---------------------------------------------------------
Do you have to bring your fascist views into every single subject?
• Posted by: MW7 • Report Comment
APORTIONING BLAME
23.07.07, 5:24pm
For the past thirty years, successive governments and local authorities have passed applications to build on flood plains; now we are reaping the results of bad planning, by all involved.
But, others are equally responsible; I refer to the various river authorities. When did you last see a river, or estuary being dredged of silt.
I live near a large natural estuary fed by two rivers and this year it has been extremely difficult for boats to get to sea, even at high water due to silt in the main channel.
Until our rivers are managed properly and dredged at regular intervals; the problem will intensify. !!
• Posted by: TheWiseOne • Report Comment
WE ARE SINKING UNDER THE WEIGHT OF IMMIGRATION AND BULL****!
23.07.07, 3:28pm
And nothiing will change until we are allowed to elect our own government and vote to leave Europe A.S.A.P. VOTE BNP
• Posted by: The_Way_I_See_It • Report Comment
WE BUILD IN FLOOD AREAS WONDER WHY THEY FLOOD.
23.07.07, 11:57am
We build more and more new houses then pipe them up to the old overworked drainage system because its cheaper not to build new drains. No wonder they can't cope. We get 4 inches of rain that goes onto the feilds but it can't go down the ditches because we have filled them in. So it travels though the soil and settles at the lowest point because its got no where else to go. So it comes back up the drains into the housing estates.When did you last see a Sludge Gulper sucking out the drains in the street, they all must be blocked up too. Its not difficult to work out the mathamatics. This is all because of cost cutting by the water companies and the property developers, at the peoples expense who live there. But who will pay for all this damage ? Yes - The poor man in the street, you've got it.
• Posted by: Save_Britain • Report Comment
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