Region expected to avoid flooding

By David Green

THE East Anglian coast is expected to avoid flooding this weekend - despite tides being among the highest recorded over the past 25 years.

However, flood warnings are anticipated in Wales and the west and south of England over the next few days.

Tides around the UK will, as is usual for this time of year, be high until the middle of next week - about four centimetres higher than normal.

The Environment Agency said yesterday it was keeping a close watch on weather forecasts in order to give plenty of warning if a risk of flooding developed.

But officials say that East Anglia would only be at risk if the wind changed from the forecasted westerlies and southerlies into an easterly direction and other weather features occurred.

Richard Woollard, eastern region spokesman for the Environment Agency, said similar levels of tide had been experienced for a few days in September without problems occurring.

“We in the east are relatively untroubled at the moment although weather systems can change. While there may be a flood risk elsewhere, North Sea conditions are currently more sheltered and significant tidal surges are unlikely.

“The situation which always increases the flood risk on this coast is where you have a violent storm at sea, easterly winds and low atmospheric pressure.

“The forecast for the weekend is that we will get westerly winds, veering southerly at the beginning of the week,” he said.

Mr Woollard said people living near the coast should always be prepared in the event of flooding but, at the present time, no flood watch alerts had been issued for the East Anglia coast.

Members of the public worried about floods can get up to date information from the Environment Agency's floodline telephone number, 0845 9881188.

Alternatively, people can log on to the agency's website: www.environment-agency.gov.uk for information which is updated every 15 minutes.