Parts of England and Wales wake up to snow as forecasters warn of more rain
Communities across parts of England and Wales have woken up to snow as forecasters warn of further rain in flood-hit areas.
East Gloucestershire, parts of Wiltshire and South Wales were pictured blanketed in snow on Thursday morning, while photos from Bath showed it still falling as of 7am.
The Met Office has issued several alerts for snow across the South East and South West of England, South Wales and the West Midlands until 10am.
Gloucestershire Police advised drivers to take care while travelling to work due to snow on the hills in the county after heavy rain overnight.
The Met Office warned there could be a danger to life in parts of the East Midlands and Yorkshire as more rain is forecast to fall on the already flooded region.
The Environment Agency (EA) said heavy rain is expected on Thursday, Friday and over the weekend, which could lead to further flooding for communities in South Yorkshire around the Lower River Don.
Thirty-six flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, remain in effect across Britain, along with 124 flood alerts, which means flooding is possible.
Good morning! Persistent rain & some hill snow continues to affect parts of Wales & England. Further south, patchy fog clears but with scattered heavy showers. Further north, sunny spells but showers towards north-eastern coasts. Cold & breezy. https://t.co/cQSfu1VDbo ^Sophie pic.twitter.com/xIHWzCFrLY
— Met Office (@metoffice) November 14, 2019
EA’s flood duty manager Kate Marks said: “Parts of Lincolnshire and the Midlands could also be affected by rain falling on already saturated ground over Thursday and Friday, as well as other parts of England as rain crosses the country from west to east.
“It’s really important that impacted communities remain vigilant and take steps to prepare for flooding by checking their flood risk regularly and making plans to stay safe.”
The EA said 300 staff were working around the clock in various parts of the country, deploying pumps to disperse water through five of the worst-hit locations.
A yellow weather warning for rain is in place for areas around Nottingham, Sheffield and Doncaster from 9am on Thursday to 3am on Friday, as the snow falling across the South West moves north and turns to rain.
The EA said that, since flooding began last Thursday, around 14,400 properties have been protected by flood defences, including 5,000 in South Yorkshire.
