An expert has advised Britons to avoid driving through floods and to turn the electricity off in their homes if they become flooded.
Professor Hannah Cloke, a hydrologist at the University of Reading, warned against treating a flood as a ‘swimming pool’ or ‘large puddle’, pointing out risks such as falling trees.
Storm Henk has seen major flooding cut off towns across the UK, with parts of Nottinghamshire and Gloucestershire evacuated amid heavy rainfall.
Professor Cloke, warned that people were unaware of the risks to themselves and their families of driving through flooded areas, which she said could lead to ‘devastating consequences’.
She said: ‘It may look like it is not powerful but just don’t drive through flood water.’
An expert in hydrology has warned people against driving in flooded areas. Pictured: Floodwater surrounds homes in Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshhire
Professor Hannah Cloke (pictured) also advised homeowners to turn the electricity off if their properties become flooded
The hydrologist from the University of Reading said it could take weeks or months for water levels to fall
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for rain for much of south and south west England on Thursday
Flooding by the Boat Inn in Jackfield, Shropshire, this afternoon following heavy rainfall
Flooding on North Parade in Worcester this afternoon following heavy rainfall.
Flood barriers were installed along the River Severn to protect the village of Ironbridge
She added: ‘You also don’t know what is under the water, there could be open manhole covers, sharp objects, it is very dangerous.’
By Thursday morning at total of 293 flood alerts and 270 warnings were in place across England, while Natural Resources Wales imposed 20 alerts, four warnings and a severe warning for the River Ritec in Tenby, Pembrokeshire.
The Met Office initially issued a rain warning for southern England from Cornwall to Suffolk, before extending it northwards over Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, running until 3am tomorrow and warns of further power cuts and villages becoming cut off.
Meteorologists also warned of further flooding to homes and businesses, road closures, difficult driving conditions and cancellations to train services, with several rail operators warning of disruption to services.
The wet weather revealed Earith Bulwark fort from the English Civil War after flooding in Cambridgeshire
The Earith Bulwark in the Cambridgeshire Fens was built in 1643 by Oliver Cromwell’s forces
Pictured: A tree destroyed by Storm Henk at Kew Gardens in West London this week
Great Western Railway advised passengers to avoid starting journeys where possible, and urged customers who had already travelled out to make a return trip as soon as possible.
Heavy rain across southern England led to the majority of Thames Water’s storm overflows discharging sewage into rivers and ground water
Kew Gardens revealed that six trees destroyed during the storm would now be ‘mulched and added back’ to the park in South West London.
And despite optimism for a dryer weekend, Professor Cloke warned that water levels could remain high for as long as weeks or even months, adding that it takes time for ‘water to go through the system’, and that rivers were continuing to rise.