North Staffordshire families told 'act now' as flood warning in place

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Officials have issued a flood warning for parts of North Staffordshire with families told to 'act now' after the area was battered by thunderstorms and heavy downpours. And the conditions could last for a number of days while a weather warning for rain has come into force.

Yesterday's switch from balmy conditions to thunder and rain left more than 1,700 homes around North Staffordshire without power and scores of roads under water. Today and there's a flood warning in the Moorlands heading towards East Staffordshire with flood alerts also in place.

The warning, issued by the Environment Agency, covers the River Tean around Upper Tean, Lower Tean and Checkley. The agency says 'river levels have risen rapidly' with such a level of alert coming with an 'act now' message.

READ MORE:Weather latest: Stoke-on-Trent roads under water and 1,700 with no electricity

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LATEST: Follow our live blog here for real-time updates on the weather conditions across North Staffordshire

Guidance on the Government website states: "A flood warning means that flooding is expected so you should act now. The Environment Agency issues a flood warning when forecasts show that flooding is expected from rivers, heavy rain that will cause rivers to flash flood, and high tides and surges couple with strong winds at sea."

The warning in the Moorlands follows some challenging conditions for families yesterday. Residents reported key roads around Cheadle being left under water while High Street in Tean was also said to be badly hit.

Elsewhere and hundreds were without power across the Moorlands with 600 affected across Hulme End, Wetton, Alstonefield and Longnor with roughly 109 homes hit across Onecote and Butterton. The conditions also impacted water pressure and supply across a number of neighbourhoods.

Meanwhile the ongoing conditions have seen flood alerts - one level down from a warning - remain in place for the River Trent around Stoke, and the Rivers Churnet and Tean near Kingsley. In the south of the county and there are alerts for Rivers Blithe, Swarbourn, Sow and Penk. There's also a flood warning for the River Penk around Brewood.

Today and a yellow warning for rain came in at midnight and will last until 11.59pm. But then a fresh warning starts at midnight and runs through to 11.59pm tomorrow night.

In the latest Met Office forecast, meteorologists say there will be heavy rain across North Staffordshire this morning which will turn into light showers for much of the day before turning heavy again this evening. Tomorrow (September 23) is shaping up to bring heavy downpours for a large chunk of the day.

The BBC says we could experience rain every day from now until October 1.

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