A major incident has been declared by a UK local authority after Storm Chandra brought in heavy rainfall and flooding. As of Tuesday evening, there were 95 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, and 257 flood alerts, where it is possible, across England.
According to Somerset Council, there had been “extensive flooding overnight” and the risk of flooding on the Somerset Levels and Moors “remains high as rainwater moves through the system”. The council said that an estimated 50 properties have been affected by flooding across Ilminster, West Coker, Taunton, Mudford and West Camel.
Council leader Bill Revans said: “The decision to declare a major incident at this stage means we are well placed to respond to this ongoing situation. Storm Chandra brought more than 50mm of rain to parts of Somerset last night, on top of already saturated land, and this has caused widespread disruption.
“We know many communities have been impacted and our thoughts go to all those experiencing flooding. We’ve had teams working through the night and we are continuing to respond to many reports of roads which remain impassable. Please avoid travelling if you can and never attempt to drive through flood water. The weather forecast remains challenging so we will be working with colleagues in the emergency services to ensure we are prepared should the situation continue to deteriorate.”
In Wales, there were three flood warnings and 17 flood alerts in place, while there were eight flood warnings and eight flood alerts in place across Scotland.
Storm Chandra also brought disruption to other parts of the South West, the south coast, and north of England, as well as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Domestic flights were cancelled on routes serving Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heathrow, Leeds Bradford, London City, Manchester and Southampton airports on Tuesday.
Yellow weather warnings have been issued for ice on Wednesday morning covering much of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and southern and central Scotland.
A yellow weather warning for rain is also in place for South West England on Thursday, with the Met Office saying that further rain could bring more flooding and transport disruption.
Storm Chandra is the latest storm to be named by the western Europe storm naming group list shared between the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.