Flood warnings issued for parts of Staffordshire

Meteorologists have warned that areas around the country will see heavy rain and strong winds this week as Storm Christoph blows in.

Flood alerts have also been put in place in parts of the West Midlands due rain, which in some places could reach up to 200mm.

An amber weather warning is in place for central and northern England, stating there is “danger to life” as a result of fast-flowing or deep floodwater.

It is likely some roads in the area will be blocked off by flooding, which could “cut off” communities.

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By Thursday, most of the UK will be under a yellow weather warning for rain.

River levels are forecast to rise at the Stoke river gauge as a result of heavy, prolonged and persistent rainfall from later today until Thursday 21 January 2021

An alert is also in place for the River Churnet and River Tean near Cheadle.

"Real threat of flooding"

There's a particular concern also for areas of the East who've recently seen heavy snowfall.

Met Office chief meteorologist Dan Suri said: “Following a cold spell where the main hazard was snow, our focus now turns to notably heavy rain moving across the UK this week.

“Some locations could see over 100mm of rain falling through the course of just a couple of days. with up to 200mm possible over higher ground.

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“These amounts of rainfall along with snow melt present a real threat of flooding and people should keep a close eye on flood warnings from the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales.”

There are currently 11 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, in place across parts of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.

There are a further 61 flood alerts in place across the country, meaning people should be prepared for possible flooding. However, this number is expected to increase overnight as more rain falls.

People should prepare for the risk of flooding.

The Environment Agency has advised people in these areas to prepare for flooding, which could come as early as Tuesday morning by using temporary barriers.

Meanwhile, the opening of flood storage reservoirs is being arranged.

Offering advice on staying safe in these adverse conditions, Katherine Smith, flood duty manager at The Environment Agency, said: “We urge people to keep away from swollen rivers and not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.”