Flooding and travel disruption for England as cold temperatures persist

Flooding and travel disruption has been forecast as cold temperatures continue to set in across southern England.

The Met Office said on Wednesday: “Mist, fog and freezing fog – including freezing drizzle – will be slow to clear across southern parts of England this morning.”

Travel delays, cancelled flights and dangerous road conditions are a possibility despite the weather being expected to improve slightly on Wednesday afternoon, it also warned.

The Environment Agency has a total of 24 flood warnings in place across southern England. These warnings are in place in an area stretching from Ludgershall in Wiltshire down to Dorset and across to Somerset.

The agency warned motorists and walkers to be wary of “dangerous” high tides in east Yorkshire on Wednesday night after issuing a new flood warning for an eight-mile stretch of the Humber estuary.

The agency said: “The combination of high tides and waves is expected to generate hazards for exposed areas. Please be careful along beaches, coastal footpaths and roads as waves and sea spray could be dangerous.”

While a yellow warning for freezing fog was lifted on Wednesday morning, motorists are warned to take extra care as forecasters said poor visibility could extend into the start of next week.

The Met Office said visibility would improve slightly on Wednesday but remain poor as a succession of cold fronts is expected to bring rain to the south.

Residents and commuters in Bracknell Forest, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham would need to be mindful of the conditions, the Met Office warned.

Fog is also expected to hit Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.

Temperatures will only slightly improve to peaks of 8C, with overnight lows of -6C, even though rain, fog and wind are expected to ease for a dry and cloudy day.

Temperatures in England and Wales are predicted to rebound to normal January levels over the weekend.