Multi-agency support continues with response teams on the ground reassuring communities, monitoring the situation closely and ready to act if necessary.
- In light of the ongoing weather situation this update will be issued on a daily basis this week until further notice.
A major incident remains in place following moderate to heavy rainfall over the weekend. The ground remains saturated and a further Met Office yellow weather warning for rain is in place today from 12pm to midnight. Our teams are ready to respond if necessary.
Operations are still being co-ordinated involving Somerset Council, emergency services, health colleagues, the Environment Agency (EA), local voluntary organisations and other key partners.
The following Community Information Points – are being held tomorrow (Tuesday 10 February) – the EA, Somerset Council and Avon and Somerset Police officers will be in attendance:
Burrowbridge – Coronation Hall: West Yeo Road, Burrowbridge, Bridgwater TA7 0RH from 10am until 12pm.
Moorland and District Village Hall: Northmoor Green, Bridgwater, TA7 0AS
1.30pm until 3.30pm.
There is also a Community Information Point on Wednesday 11 February, run by Thrive (EA, Avon and Somerset Police and Somerset Council officers will be present):
Langport – Talking Café at Angel Café: Bow Street, Langport, TA10 9PQ
11.30am until 1.30pm.
To view previous updates, visit the Council’s Newsroom archive.
Emergency response and recovery team
Teams remain on standby – ongoing weather conditions and water levels are being closely monitored.
- A major incident cell met again today at Bridgwater Police Station to co-ordinate operations with a multi-agency approach.
- We are continuing to visit homes in areas which may be at risk of flooding. Officers from Avon and Somerset Police and Somerset Council are on the ground.
- We are advising residents to be prepared in case the situation worsens and evacuation becomes necessary.
- If there is a need to evacuate, residents will be contacted by the police, Somerset Council staff or by receiving a flood warning from the Environment Agency.
- We have plans in place to stand up rest centres should they be needed.
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.
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.
Highways and transport
County-wide the recent weather has caused a high number of defects on roads across Somerset, and our teams are working hard to assess and fix these 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.
Current road closures due to flooding:
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.
Also:
- Aller Drove, Long Bridge Road, Wetmoor Lane and Thorney Road near Langport; Godney Road from B3151 to Godney Drove crossroads; Ruggs Drove, Chedzoy.
- Bridgehampton Road near Yeovil; Durliegh Hill, Durliegh; Bineham Lane, Yeovilton.
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, and not in priority areas identified earlier.
- Housing teams are planning ahead.
Anyone affected by flooding is encouraged to please report it using the Council’s flood reporting form.
Environment Agency update
Over the past 24 hours, Somerset has experienced moderate to high rainfall, with totals ranging from 4 to 29 mm. A Met Office Yellow Weather Warning for rain is in place today. This will be followed by another band of rain on Tuesday.
Water levels across Currymoor, Northmoor, Saltmoor, and the moors upstream of Langport (including Huish Episcopi, Midelney and Westover) remain very high. Because the ground is fully saturated, local rivers are highly sensitive to further rainfall.
Spring tides peaked on 4 February and are decreasing. The impact of tidal conditions on river levels and pumping operations is reducing, which helps us drain the system.
We are monitoring the situation closely and will respond rapidly to changes.
5 flood warnings and 11 flood alerts are in place across Somerset. 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 the Environment Agency is doing
- We will be running community drop ins, together with our partners:
– Tuesday 10 February 1000-1200 at Coronation Hall, Burrowbridge TA7 0RH
– Tuesday 10 February 1330-1530 at Moorland and District Village Hall TA7 0AS
– Wednesday 11 February 1330-1330 supporting the Thrive Talking Café at The Angel Café, Langport TA20 9PQ
- Additional pumps are operational at: Northmoor, Saltmoor, Elson’s Clyce, Westonzoyland and Bridgwater Canal and Docks. Our teams are working 24/7 to ensure pumps are running at full capacity after experiencing some reliability issues.
- 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.
- We continue to dynamically operate the River Parrett Flood Relief Channel (Sowy), to ensure the maximum amount of water is channelled through the system.
- Additional ultra-high-volume pumps are being deployed at Dunball Sluice, we anticipate them becoming operational this week. This will allow 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.
- 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 improve our pumping capacity, should it be required.
Advice for communities
For safety reasons, people are advised not to walk or drive through floodwater, which may be deeper than it appears and could contain sewage and hidden hazards.
Anyone experiencing property flooding is encouraged to report it as soon as possible, as this helps organisations coordinate support and prioritise response efforts. Reports can be made via the Environment Agency Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
Since a Major Incident was declared, the multi‑agency response to flooding has been stepped up.
Sign up for flood warnings via GOV.UK’s Get flood warnings by text, phone or email page.
Find more information and local gauge levels via GOV.UK’s Find river, sea, groundwater and rainfall levels page.
For welfare needs, including animal welfare, residents are advised to contact Somerset Council on 0300 123 2224.
NHS Somerset update
NHS Somerset remains available to support anyone who needs help with their health during this difficult time.
- For advice on health conditions or to check symptoms, individuals can visit nhs.uk or call 111.
- Those needing clinical advice about a developing health condition can call 111, where clinicians can provide guidance and arrange a call‑back if required.
- Somerset has 90 community pharmacies with highly experienced pharmacists who can offer clinical advice on more than 40 common conditions and provide prescriptions for 7 common conditions, including eye infections and UTIs, as part of the Pharmacy First service.
- The local mental health service offers a 24/7 helpline, also available online during daytime hours. The service can be reached via Mindline Somerset on 0800 138 1692 (freephone) or 01823 276892 (local rate).
- Urgent treatment centres across Somerset are available to help with urgent care needs, including sprains, broken bones, head injuries, bites, eye infections, and chest and throat infections. These centres are located in Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Chard, Bridgwater, Minehead (Minor Injury Unit), and Yeovil.
For more detailed information on how the NHS in Somerset can support residents this winter – including access to warm hubs, pain cafés, free food support, domestic violence assistance, and financial help – individuals can visit the NHS Somerset winter webpages.
Preparing for flooding
- Sign up for flood warnings at gov.uk/get-flood-warnings
- Call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 for updates, to sign up for warnings, or to report flooding
- Visit gov.uk/prepare-for-flooding or somersetprepared.org.uk for advice on what to do During a flood
- Call 999 if there is a risk to life
Report flooding to:
- 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-flooding.service.gov.uk.
Visit gov.uk/help-during-flood or somersetprepared.org.uk for guidance.
Advice for residents
The Council’s 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 via the Council’s Flooding information and advice page.
Anyone needing to leave their home due to flooding is reminded to take any medication they may need with them.
Do not drive through flood water. More information about safety during floods on the road can be found on Somerset Road Safety’s Adverse weather conditions page.
Reporting problems
To report flooding on a road or blocked drains on a road, use the report a problem on a road form.
If your property is owned by the Council and has been affected by flooding, please visit the Housing repairs page or call 0300 123 2224.
For urgent housing needs, contact the Housing Team on 0800 123 2224. Further information can be found on the Homelessness guidance page.
Stay up to date
For the latest travel updates, follow @TravelSomerset on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) or visit the Roadworks and travel information page.
Find out the current status of roads that have Emergency road closure gates.
