Major incidents declared as Britain battles floods, snow and ice

Flood warnings have been issued for parts of England as the wintry weather causes travel delays and school closures across the UK.

Major incidents have been declared in Lincolnshire and Leicester due to flooding caused by heavy rain.

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice has been issued for parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and areas of north-west and south-west England until Tuesday morning.

Travel disruption due to cold and wet weather continued on Monday, affecting roads, railways and airports.

A Met Office warning for snow and ice across large parts of Scotland came into effect at 16:00 and will last until Tuesday afternoon.

In Northern Ireland, a yellow alert for snow and ice warnings remains in place until 11:00 a.m. Tuesday.

A yellow alert for snow for Wales and parts of north-west and south-west England came into effect at 17:00 on Monday, continuing until 10:00 on Tuesday.

As of Monday afternoon, there were 176 flood warnings in place across England, meaning flooding is likely, and 311 flood warnings, meaning flooding is possible.

In Wales, one flood warning and 13 flood alerts are in force.

A major incident has been reported in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Due to severe flooding, houses were submerged and people were trapped in their vehicles due to rising water.

lincolnshire became the second county To declare a major incident on flood.

Water and Floods Minister Emma Hardie told MPs that the country’s flood protection was “in its worst state on record”. He blamed “years of underinvestment” under the previous Conservative government.

“Around 60,000 properties would be less safe if flood defenses were in optimal condition,” he said, adding that the government had pledged £2 billion over the next two years to “build and maintain” flood defences.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his thoughts were with all those affected and thanked “responders working hard to keep communities safe”.

The coldest temperature of the UK winter so far was recorded on Sunday night, when the mercury reached -13.3C (8F) at Loch Glascarnoch in Scotland.

On Monday morning, icy conditions led to the closure of schools in north-east Scotland and northern England on the first day back after the Christmas holidays.

The cold forced power to be restored to thousands of homes and businesses in the north-east of England, according to network operator Northern Powergrid.

Roads across Britain were affected by the weather. The M5 was closed on Monday morning due to widespread flooding in Gloucester. The M25 in Surrey was also closed after a lorry overturned and blocked the road.

Railway lines across Britain were affected by flooding, while Manchester Airport was again forced to close two runways after heavy snowfall.

The weather will feel calm tonight as the low pressure area that brought snow and rain this morning has cleared to the east, but it has left behind some very cold air and some wintry rain.

There will be widespread frost and temperatures will drop well below zero and there will be a risk of freezing almost everywhere.

Frost will occur not only in warning areas, but also further east, where snow has melted and the ground is still wet from recent rain.

Various warnings for snowfall and snowfall have been issued by the Met Office.

There will be further wintry rain due to north-westerly winds during the evening and night period. These rains can be frequent and may fall as sleet or snow, especially on higher ground where some accumulation may occur.

In northern and western Scotland, winter rainfall is expected with 5–10 cm accumulations over 200 metres.

Tomorrow there will be scattered wintry showers over similar areas, but for many it will be dry with some sunshine, but very cold and temperatures will not exceed mid-single figures.

A separate warning has been issued for possible snowfall in the southern counties of England on Wednesday, valid from 09:00 am to midnight, which could be disruptive and cause snowfall of up to 2-5 cm.

However, the prognosis for it remains uncertain.

The world has warmed by more than 1C since the pre-industrial era. Britain’s winters are changing as a result.

While the climate is becoming warmer overall, we will still see short-term extremes of both hot and cold weather – but cold extremes are likely to become fewer and farther between.

Climate change will bring more rainfall for us. A warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture, so more intense rainfall, along with a higher risk of flooding, is expected to become an increasing feature of UK winters.