Storm Henk flooding: Government announces payments worth thousands of pounds to help communities recover

Areas hit hard by flooding after Storm Henk will be able to apply for thousands of pounds in government money to pay for recovery work and repairs.

The financial support will be available to eligible areas in England that have experienced exceptional localised flooding.

The help includes flooded households being eligible for £500 in cash to assist with immediate costs.

More than 1,800 properties have flooded due to saturated ground, said the Environment Agency (EA) as it urged the public to “remain vigilant”.

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The impact of high water levels is set to continue over the next five days, and many rivers will remain elevated, the EA added.

As of 6pm on Saturday, 190 flood warnings and 210 flood alerts were in place in England and significant flooding was forecast in parts of the Midlands, Lincolnshire and on the River Thames.

Also, a cold weather alert warning came into force on Saturday, that covers most of next week as well.

Overnight into Sunday, temperatures will fall close to zero for much of the country.

The Met Office said it would be -4C (24.8F) in parts of rural south-west England on Saturday night and -6C (21.2F) in rural areas along the Welsh border in Shropshire and north Herefordshire on Sunday night.

“Significant river flooding impacts” are expected to continue over the next few days across parts of the River Thames in Oxfordshire as well as the River Trent near Nottingham, and the River Severn, including Gloucester, along with areas of the South West on the River Avon.

Almost every river in England is exceptionally high with some reaching their highest flow on record, EA data shows.

Caroline Douglass, the agency’s flood director, said the Trent has been at “some of the highest levels we’ve seen in 24 years”. Nottinghamshire County Council declared a major incident on Thursday due to the rising levels.

EA crews are reportedly operating temporary pumps, barriers and flood defences to minimise the impact of flooding across the country, and the agency said it has protected more than 45,000 properties.

David Walters, who spent 11 years developing his caravan park business from scratch, says it is “heartbreaking” to see the damage caused by recent flooding.

On Wednesday, floodwater left everything “drenched” at Cresslands Touring Park, in South Lincolnshire, before receding and breaking the cap off a borehole, which supplies water to the whole site and Mr Walters’ home nearby.

In Torksey, near Lincoln, John Howell told Sky News he had lost everything after his static caravan was flooded.

His is one of around 25 caravans that have been flooded at the Torksey Lock Caravan Park.

John, who slept in his car on Friday night after neighbours woke him to warn him of the rising water, said: “This has finished it for me.

“I won’t be coming back now. My home is ruined, along with all my possessions. It’s just heartbreaking.”

The government’s financial help will be made available through a scheme called the Flood Recovery Framework, which is used in exceptional circumstances to support councils and communities following severe flooding.

Communities Secretary Michael Gove said: “If you’ve been affected by the recent severe flooding, you do not have to deal with it alone – we are providing financial help so you can recover as quickly as possible.”

Support will also be available for:

• Significantly affected households and businesses who will be eligible for 100% council tax and business rates relief for at least three months.

• Small and medium-sized businesses in eligible affected areas that can apply for up to £2,500 from the Business Recovery Grant to help them get back to business.

• Eligible flood-hit property owners can apply for up to £5,000 to help make their homes and businesses more resilient to future flooding via the Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme.

• Farmers who have suffered uninsurable damage to their land can apply for grants of up to £25,000 via the Farming Recovery Fund towards repair and reinstatement costs for farmers adversely affected by exceptional flooding.

What cold weather alert means

The UK Health Security Agency’s warning will be in place until 12pm on Friday 12 January, with forecasters warning of icy conditions as temperatures plunge below freezing.

While colder conditions increase risks to the most vulnerable, with “significant impacts possible” in the health sector, there are hopes that river levels will start to go down as rainfall eases.

The agency said: “Temperatures are likely to be a few degrees below average, across much of the UK, especially overnight, with more widespread frosts than of late.

“Ice is likely to be an issue for many given the very wet ground in most areas. It is probable this cold spell may last well into the following week.”