People living in Felixstowe and Bawdsey are being warned to prepare for floods today because of the effect of the remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo.

The Environment Agency have been issuing flood alerts throughout the day for most of the Suffolk and north Essex coastline, saying to be prepared for possible flooding.

Now though that has been upgraded around the mouth of the River Deben to a flood alert, meaning immediate action is required.

The high tide is forecast for around 11.30pm with the predicted tide level thought to be around 2.8meters.

John Davis, owner for the Ferry Cafe in Felixstowe Ferry, said his first reaction to hearing about potential floods was “shock, horror, panic”.

He added: “I’m just getting stuff off the floor. I’ve taken the view it’s going to be bad.

“We’ve learnt from the last flood. I’m lifting ovens up and onto baked bean cans. Hopefully that should get us out of trouble.”

Mr Davis also said his insurance excess had increased hugely since the cafe was last flooded during storm St Jude in 2013 – and that having to pay it could cripple the business.

On its website the Environment Agency said: “Properties are expected to flood at Bawdsey Quay and in front of the flood defences at Felixstowe Ferry.

“This warning is in force until 1.30am on October22, 2014.

“We will continue to monitor levels closely and update this message as necessary.”

The full list of Environment Agency alerts covers the coast from Lowestoft to Bawdsey, Southwold specifically, the Deben estuary, the coastline from Felixstowe to Clacton including the Orwell and Stour estuaries, and Clacton to St Peter’s Flat.

All locations are expecting high tides “due to a combination of a tidal surge and high winds” according to the agency’s website. People in the area should be aware that flooding is possible and that another, similar warning may be issued tomorrow morning.

Train travel is also being affected by the weather, with a small tree having fallen against overhead lines on the Great Eastern Main Line between Stowmarket and Diss.

Network Rail staff arrived on site at 3.45pm to assess and rectify the situation.

Last night people were being warned to drive carefully during the morning rush hour, although so far there don’t appear to have been any serious incidents.

Gusts were predicted to be in the range of 45-50mph during the day with the strongest coming during late morning and early afternoon.

Some disruption occurred earlier in Birdbrook, Essex, because a fallen tree was blocking Station Road in both directions between the A1017 and Moat Road.

In Ipswich Westerfield Road was also obstructed by a tree which fell across the street.

A spokesman for Stansted airport said they had experienced no problems due to the weather this morning and did were not expecting any issues later in the day based on current forecasts.

You can check the five day weather forecast here.

Have you got any pictures of damage caused by today’s weather? Send them to suffolkpicturedesk@archant.co.uk