Britain is facing ‘uncharted’ territory and the worst floods in 200 years after forecasters warned towns and cities already underwater should prepare themselves for another four days of rain.
Communities are braced for further misery tomorrow when two inches are expected to fall within 24 hours over large swathes of Wales and the north west of England, which have already been submerged by the storm.
Hundreds have been evacuated from their homes since Storm Dennis hit on Sunday and five people have died after being struck by fallen trees or swept away in the deluge.
Flood-hit York, as well as Sheffield and Leeds, faces up to another three inches of rain throughout Friday, which the Met Office say won’t relent until the early hours of Saturday.
There are still 350 flood alerts in place nationwide – including seven ‘danger to life’ warnings – with the Environment Agency claiming large parts of Britain are now in ‘uncharted territory’ in terms of flooding.
Among the worst affected areas are Yorkshire, South Wales, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire, where major incidents have been declared.
The Prime Minister has so far resisted calls to arrange a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee and has no plans to visit any of the areas devastated by flooding. He is believed to be staying at the Chevening Estate in Sevenoaks, Kent, with his partner Carrie Symonds while Parliament is in recess.
An aerial view of Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire on Tuesday shows floods approaching devastating levels after Storm Dennis
A DPD delivery van is marooned in flood water caused by Storm Dennis in Fordingbridge, Hampshire today, as rain water continues to fall across the UK
A canoeist makes their way towards Lidl in Monmouth, in the aftermath of Storm Dennis that has wrecked havoc on parts of the UK
Britain is facing another day of widespread flooding and travel chaos in the wake of Storm Dennis as forecasters warned of a three-day deluge of rain and ice
The Prime Minister has resisted calls to chair a meeting of the Government’s emergency committee Cobra to tackle the flooding crisis, despite criticism from locals in the worst-affected areas (shown)
Environmental scientist Angela Terry told the Mirror: ‘As a country we are not preparing. Sending the army to fill sandbags is a sticking plaster.’
‘As temperatures rise, the atmosphere can hold more water so downpours are more intense – 7 per cent more for every degree celsius temperature increase – so flooding will increase. We are currently in a national emergency.’
Shadow environment secretary Luke Pollard said it was a ‘disgrace’ that Mr Johnson had ‘refused’ to visit affected communities.
Around 1,000 staff were on duty, with more than three miles of flood barriers deployed and 90 pumps in action, the EA said.
The latest ‘danger to life’ warning, for the River Severn in Telford, prompted the evacuation of around 30 properties as water pressure caused the road surface to crack and levels threatened to overtop the barrier.
Residents of the Wharfage, located along the river, were being taken to a cafe on the High Street in Ironbridge, while 21 cars parked in the area were taken to a nearby park and ride to save them from flooding, Telford and Wrekin Council said.
The council said the river’s flood peak was moving towards the Ironbridge Gorge and was expected to arrive there later on Tuesday, while the Environment Agency said river levels could reach 22ft by the afternoon.
‘Consequently, flooding of property and roads along the Wharfage in Ironbridge is potentially imminent,’ the agency warned.
It comes after the River Wye reached its highest levels on record on Monday, peaking at around 20ft, with the Environment Agency describing levels as ‘exceptional’ and residents in Hereford saying they had never seen anything like it.
EA manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire Dave Throup said the level of flooding is difficult to believe.
Mr Throup, who is from Worcestershire, tweeted on Monday night: ‘I’ve seen things today I would not have believed. Large parts of my home town and village are underwater tonight. This is not normal flooding, we are in uncharted territory.’
A graphic shows measures in put in place in recent years to protect vulnerable areas from flooding (left) and those planned for the future (right)
West Mercia Police advised people in Upton-upon-Severn and Uckinghall in Worcestershire to evacuate on Monday evening due to rising levels on the River Severn.
Assistant Chief Constable Geoff Wessell said there was a ‘level of relief’ for Upton-upon-Severn on Tuesday morning as flood defences appeared not to have been breached.
He told BBC Breakfast: ‘It’s not overtopped. Preparations were made. We’ve had good support from the locals to leave if they needed to. But a level of relief for us.’
Mr Wessell advised people to remain cautious, not to drive through floodwater and to remain ready to leave their homes if they need to.
There are still more than 400 flood alerts still in place across the country – including nine ‘danger to life’ warnings – with the Environment Agency saying rivers had swelled to ‘exceptional’ levels in parts of Britain
Mountain Rescue team members rescue an elderly resident called Peter Morgan from his house where he has lived his whole life, after it flooded in Monmouth, South Wales today
Mr Morgan is seen being stretchered out of his lifelong home in Monmouth, South Wales, on Tuesday after it flooded during Storm Dennis
River levels remain high at the Worcester river gauge as a result of Storm Dennis. Consequently, flooding of property and roads is expected to continue
A man is seen wading through floodwater in the village of Hampton Bishop near Hereford, which has suffered devastating water levels since Storm Dennis hit over the weekend
The Army has been drafted in to help flood-hit communities. This Army van is seen in Hampton Bishop, Hereford today
Canoeists make their way towards Lidl in Monmouth, South Wales, today, dodging a ‘road closed sign’ in the aftermath of Storm Dennis
Photographer Simon Emmett inadvertently captures the face of a witch in the raging waves at Cobb harbour in Lyme Regis, Dorset
Five people have died as result of Storm Dennis, with the family of Yvonne Booth, who was swept away by floodwater near Tenbury in Worcestershire on Sunday, saying they have been left ‘devastated’ after her body was found on Monday.
The 55-year-old, from the Great Barr area of Birmingham, was described as a ‘very much loved member of our family’ in a statement from relatives, released through police.
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said it had pulled one man from the River Teme at Eastham Bridge on Sunday morning, with a female casualty still unaccounted for as of about 4pm.
A man in his 60s also died on Sunday after being pulled from the River Tawe near Trebanos Rugby Club in Wales, but Dyfed-Powys Police said his death was not being linked to the bad weather.
A 42-year-old hill walker was found dead after he went hiking in the Scottish Highlands on Sunday.
Police were scrambled to Stob Ban, a 3,278ft munro located on the south side of Glen Nevis, northwest of Kinlochleven, Highlands at around 1pm on Sunday, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The bodies of two men were pulled from rough seas off Kent on Saturday as the UK was struck by a storm for the second weekend in a row.
The village of Carrbridge, near Inverness, is pictured this morning as blizzards hit the Scottish Highlands today as the Met Office issued warnings for snow showers
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for snow and ice across large swathes of Scotland (shown is Carrbridge in the Highlands) today, with commuters told to expect treacherous conditions on the roads
Rain is expected to fall during today’s morning rush hour (left). Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued warnings for snow and ice across large swathes of Scotland today (right), with commuters told to expect treacherous conditions on the roads
Other severe flood warnings remain in place for the River Severn at Upton upon Severn and Uckinghall, the River Wye at Hereford and Hampton Bishop, the River Trent at Burton upon Trent and the River Lugg at Hampton Bishop.
In Wales, there are two severe warnings in place on the River Wye at Monmouth in what Natural Resources Wales called both ‘defended’ and ‘undefended’ areas.
Homes in Monmouth were evacuated and the organisation said the river had gone above seven metres by Tuesday morning.
Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said Tuesday will bring a brief respite from the worst of the weather for most of the UK, with sunny spells and showers, but warned areas of Wales could see downpours.
‘With the ground being so saturated, it’s not going to help the situation. And there’s more persistent rain coming on Wednesday.’
Flood water surrounds Upton upon Severn in Worcestershire today. Boris Johnson is facing calls to declare a ‘national emergency’ with Britain facing another day of widespread flooding and travel chaos in the wake of Storm Dennis
Pumps attempt to dump water out of a road on the banks of the River Ouse in York, North Yorkshire today, where some properties were flooded yesterday
The Met Office issued snow warnings for Scotland today, while rain warnings have been put in place for Wales for Wednesday, with additional warnings expected to be issued for north-western England
A pub attempts to flush water out on the banks of the River Ouse in York, North Yorkshire following widespread flooding brought on by Storm Dennis