STAKEHOLDER INFORMATION SHEET

Multi-agency support continues with response teams on the ground reassuring communities and ready to act if necessary

•  The situation remains stable but the ground is saturated and catchments continue to be very sensitive to additional rainfall.
•  Unless there is a change in the situation this update will be sent out every other weekday. The next update will be Monday 9 February.

A major incident remains in place – the situation is stable, rates of rise in the downstream moors (Northmoor, Saltmoor) are slowly reducing. Levels in the moors upstream of Langport (Huish Episcopi, Midelney and Westover) are reducing slowly as well. But further rain is forecast in the coming days and the weather remains unsettled.

Operations are still being co-ordinated involving Somerset Council, emergency services, health colleagues, the Environment Agency (EA), local voluntary organisations and other key partners.

No information points were held today, however all partner agencies remain available for any queries or concerns. Please see contacts below.

Please view previous updates here.  

  Emergency Response and Recovery Team

Teams remain on standby – ongoing weather conditions and water levels are being monitored.

In line with the principles of the Avon and Somerset Local Resilience Forum plan, the first Recovery Working Group has met to look at planning the recovery operation.

 Highways and Transport

The clear-up work continues. County-wide the recent weather has caused a high number of defects on roads across Somerset, and our teams are working hard to assess these and fix them in order of priority.

Over the last two weeks the service has received 5,000 enquiries.

If you spot a problem, please ensure that these are reported here as soon as you can: Report a problem on the road. This is the quickest route for incidents to get picked up.

We would continue to ask people to be patient during this time, urgent repairs to defects may cause some travel disruption, we are grateful for people’s understanding. Key road closures

On the Levels, all four roads with emergency road closure gates remain closed – the A361 between East Lyng and Burrowbridge, along with Cutts Road, the Langport to Muchelney Road and New Road, West Lyng.

A small number of minor roads remain closed.

Please check here Roadworks and travel information and follow @travelsomerset on X and FB for travel updates.

 Housing and Evacuation Support

• Only a small number of temporary accommodation placements have been required so far.
• Housing teams are planning ahead.

We are encouraging anybody affected by flooding to please report it here: Flood report – Self Service.  

In an emergency residents should always call 999 immediately.

Environment Agency Update   

 Situation: 

Moderate rainfall has been recorded over the last 24 hours with between 7mm and 21mm falling across Somerset. Unsettled conditions are expected over the weekend with persistent bands of rain and heavy showers overnight Saturday.

  Catchments are fully saturated and rivers remain very sensitive to any additional rainfall.

Rates of rise in the downstream moors (Northmoor, Saltmoor) are slowly reducing. Levels in the moors upstream of Langport (Huish Episcopi, Midelney and Westover) are reducing slowly as well. At West Sedgemoor, river levels are still too high to allow us to pump. If we pump too early this could cause a flood risk to others.

Whilst high tides have peaked tide levels remain high for the next few days, which may limit our ability to pump at certain locations. Pumps will continue to operate whenever river levels allow.

5 flood warnings and 11 flood alerts remain in place for rivers across Somerset.

We continue to monitor conditions closely and will respond quickly to any changes.

We encourage people to check for updates regularly.

There is further useful information on how the Levels and Moors operate in this document  How the Somerset Levels and Moors Work

What we’re doing:

• Additional pumps are operational at: Northmoor, Saltmoor, Elson’s Clyce, Westonzoyland and Bridgwater Canal and Docks.
• Additional pumps are installed at Haymoor and will be installed at Currymoor when river levels allow. We cannot use these until river levels drop further.
• When the River Parrett is low enough, we actively operate the River Parrett Flood Relief Channel (Sowy) in agreement with the IDB, to ensure we maximise the amount of water channelled through the system.
• Additional ultra-high-volume pumps are being deployed at Dunball Sluice, we anticipate them becoming operational mid next week. This will assist us to optimise use of the Sowy.
• We have carried out emergency work to improve conveyance at Northmoor Pumping Station and further work is ongoing. The construction of a bypass culvert at Vinneys Bridge is progressing with design, materials secured, and necessary checks that the installation can be completed safely.
• In the Brue catchment, pumping is operational at Gold Corner and North Drain as river levels allow and we continue to operate the Brue Diversion Channel (Cripps River) as required. Additional pumps are being mobilised at North Drain to proactively improve our pumping capacity should it be required.
• Temporary telemetry has been installed on both Longload and Midleney Drains to allow us to continue to monitor levels whilst our permanent gauges are inaccessible and not working.

Advice for our communities:

To ensure your safety, please do not walk or drive through flood water. Flood water may be deeper than it looks and contain sewage and hidden hazards.

We encourage you to report any property flooding as soon as you can. Reporting helps organisations coordinate support and prioritise response. You can do this by calling the Environment Agency Incident Hotline 0800 80 70 60. Since a major incident was declared, multi-agency response to the flooding has been stepped up.

Sign up for flood warnings at Get flood warnings by text, phone or email – GOV.UK

Find more information and local gauge levels online at Find river, sea, groundwater and rainfall levels – GOV.UK

For welfare needs, including animal welfare, please contact Somerset Council on 0300 123 2224.

Schools

For the latest information on school closures please visit School closures    NHS Somerset update

The NHS in Somerset is here for you if you need any help with your health during this difficult time.

1. If you need advice on health conditions, or to check symptoms, visit 111 online or phone 111.
2. If you need clinical advice about a developing health condition, phone 111. They can provide advice and where needed, arrange for a clinician to phone you back to discuss your symptoms.
3. We have 90 community pharmacies in Somerset with highly experienced community pharmacists who can give you clinical advice on over 40 common conditions and prescriptions for seven common conditions, including eye infections and UTI’s as of our Pharmacy First
4. Our mental health service offers a 24/7 helpline (also available seven days a week online during the day). Phone Mindline Somerset on 0800 138 1692 (freephone) or 01823 276892 (local rate).
5. We have urgent treatment centres that can help you with urgent care, including everything from sprains and broken bones, to head injuries, bites, eye infections and chest and throat infections. They are in Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Chard, Bridgwater, Minehead (Minor Injury Unit), Yeovil.

For more information about how we can help look after you this winter visit winter web pages. This includes help with everything from where you can find a warm hub, pain cafes and help with free food, to support if you are experiencing domestic violence or help if you are struggling financially.

Remember if you have an emergency, please continue to call 999 or visit your Accident and Emergency department at your nearest hospital.

Preparing for flooding

• Sign up for flood warnings at uk/get–flood–warnings 
• Call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 for updates, to sign up for warnings, or to report flooding.
• Visit uk/prepare–for–flooding for advice on what to do During a flood
• Call 999 if there is a risk to life

Reporting flooding

• Environment Agency (main rivers or sea): 0800 80 70 60
• Somerset Council (ordinary watercourses): 0300 123 2224
• Wessex Water (sewers): 0345 600 4600
• Check for flooding updates at check–for–service.gov.uk 
• Visit uk/help–during–flood or somersetprepared.org.uk for guidance

Advice for residents

Our Communications Team is sharing information about where to find useful information for what to do to prepare for flooding.

Anyone worried about flooding or impacted by flooding can find advice and guidance at Flooding information and advice .

If there is serious risk to life due to flooding always call 999.

Anyone needing to leave their home due to flooding is reminded to take any medication they may need with them.

Please do not walk or drive through flood water.

 Flood water may be deeper than it looks and contain sewage and hidden hazards.

More information about safety during floods on the road can be found here:         Adverse weather conditions 

Reporting problems

To report flooding on a road or blocked drains on a road use our report a problem on a road form 

If your property is owned by us and has been affected by flooding, please visit our Housing repairs page or you can phone us on 0300 123 2224.

For urgent housing needs please contact Somerset Council housing team on 0800 123 2224. Further information can be found on our website www.somerset.gov.uk/housing–support/homelessnessguidance/  

For welfare needs, including animal welfare contact Somerset Council on 0300 123 2224.

Environment Agency Incident Hotline 0800 80 70 60.

Stay up to date:  For the latest travel updates visit our Travel Somerset Facebook page or our Roadworks and travel information page

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