Rural communities are being urged to prepare for winter flooding with the Environment Agency warning of 'ignoring the danger at your own peril'.
The agency has launched Flood Action Week today (7 November) to encourage those who live in areas at risk to 'act now' to protect homes and businesses.
Unexpected flooding could 'occur at any time' and rural communities are being warned not to be complacent following this summer’s dry weather.
This year alone, the UK experienced its highest ever recorded temperatures, as the Met Office confirmed that England had its joint hottest summer on record with regions still struggling with drought.
And since 1998, the UK has seen six of the ten wettest years on record and this year for the first time ever saw three named storms in one week.
As part of the new campaign, three steps have been highlighted: check flood risks online, sign up for flood warnings and know what to do if flooding hits.
Caroline Douglass, executive director of flooding at the Environment Agency, said households risk ignoring the danger of flooding "at their own peril".
"We’re seeing more extreme weather - in this year alone with three named storms in a week, record-breaking temperatures and drought declared across large parts of the country.
“That is why it is vital that people take the necessary preparations as early as possible to prepare for the worst."
She added: “Anyone can go online to check if they are at risk, sign up for Environment Agency warnings, and, most importantly, know what you need to do if flooding hits.”
At least one in six people in England are at risk from flooding from rivers and the sea, with many more at risk from surface water flooding.
However nearly two in three households at risk of flooding don’t believe it will happen to them, according to analysis produced by the Environment Agency earlier this year.
And despite the research showing that almost two thirds of people (60%) have taken at least one action to prepare for flooding, as many as 1.5 million households, who are at risk, are yet to prepare.
Will Laing, from the Met Office, explained that winters in the UK usually included a wide variety of weather, and this winter looked to be no exception.
“Although we expect to see high pressure dominating our weather through much of the early winter, which increases the potential for cold spells, we could still see wet and windy weather at times.
“The risk of unsettled weather increases as we head into 2023 with wet, windy, and mild spells a real possibility.”
