Wiltshire warned to prepare for flooding as more rain expected
It follows Storm Henk this week, bringing high winds and downpours
People in Wiltshire are being urged to prepare for possible flooding as more heavy rain is set to hit parts of the county this afternoon.
It follows Storm Henk, which hit the south of England earlier this week, bringing with it rain and gusts of up to 60mph.
Wiltshire Council's Cabinet Member for Flooding, Caroline Thomas, told Greatest Hits Radio that they're working with town and parish councils to ensure communities are as resilient as possible.
The council work with a network of flood wardens to help towns and villages in the county make sure they're prepared effectively.
And following the downpours over the last week or so, Cllr Thomas told us locals can take simple measures to safeguard their properties.
"They can check that their domestic gullies and gully traps and gutters are all clear so that there's a runoff from their properties, rather than encouraging the water to stand and potentially back up."
We're further advised to consider the type of flooding that may occur where we are. Some flooding is caused by blocked drains, but in the south of England there's runoff from fields to take into account too.
"The ground is so saturated, and particularly in the southern part of the country, we get a lot of groundwater flooding.
"If you think your property might be affected by flooding, you know do think about buying sandbags to divert anything coming your way."
She's also cautioning us when driving on the roads: "Take extra care when traveling, obviously drive to the conditions. Watch out for debris on the roads and do not drive through flooded roads."
Cllr Thomas' advice is to plan our journeys ahead and to try and stick to main roads. And if we need an alternative route, use our maps function on our phone.
"I think the main thing is to keep an eye out on things like Google Maps, because Google Maps tends to be pretty up to date in terms of in terms of road difficulties, particularly when roads are closed," she said.
Cllr Thomas added: "It's much, much better to take longer to get there, but safely than to try and press ahead."