Thousands of people along England’s east coast are facing evacuation from their homes as life-threatening floods were expected to hit towns and villages at high tide on Friday night, while in Scotland and northern England snow has caused transport disruption.
Police, the fire service and the army were called out to protect residents along the east coast with those in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex most at risk.
Fears of flooding were expected around midday on Friday but high tide passed without incident – only for warnings to be ramped up for the next peak at midnight overnight into Saturday.
The Environment Agency (EA) had 17 severe (danger to life) warnings in effect on Friday afternoon as higher than usual tides were expected to bring waves crashing over coastal defences.
In northern Scotland and the north of England, snow caused transport disruption including road accidents and ferry and plane cancellations.
The EA’s national duty manager, Mark Sitton-Kent, said: “The combination of gale-force winds, high tides, dangerous waves carrying rocks and a coastal surge means parts of the east coast are extremely dangerous.
“We have issued severe flood warnings and urge everyone to check their flood risk and ensure they are in a safe place.”
Thousands of residents are to be evacuated from 5,000 properties in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, before an expected storm surge at high tide at 9.30pm.
Supt Dave Buckley, of Norfolk police who is coordinating the multi-agency response, said: “We understand people will be anxious but this action is necessary on the back of the latest information from the Environment Agency, which suggests the threat is significant.
“Military resources – around 200 troops – are en route and will start arriving shortly to assist with the evacuation process and we also have additional police resources in place to manage this response.”
Hundreds of people sought safety in emergency refuges in Essex after police urged residents in the coastal communities of Jaywick, Mistley and West Mersea to evacuate their homes immediately before expected severe flooding on Friday night.
By early evening more than 170 people had registered – many with their pets – at emergency “rest centres” in Clacton and West Mersea.
Ch Insp Russ Cole of Essex police said the force was not “crying wolf” and had to take every precaution.
“We haven’t taken this decision lightly,” said Cole. “We are not crying wolf, we have taken a carefully considered assessment. We can’t force people to leave their homes but there is a real and present risk.”
IT manager Darren Clegg was facing his second night at the Tendring rest centre, after being evacuated from the nearby St Osyth’s beach caravan park on Thursday night. He said he was told he did not have to be evacuated but was left with the impression that people who did not leave would be penalised.
“I’m OK with spending another night here,” he said. “We’ve been very well looked after, there is food and tea and coffee, we have mattresses and sleeping bags so I can’t complain.”
Barry Dawson, 66, and Brenda Horwood, 74, went to the rest centre in the hope of getting more information and were spending the night with their dog in their camper van in the education centre carpark.
“My nan and grandad were floating around on an upturned table on Canvey Island in 1953 so we’re not going to take any risks,” said Dawson.
Police had expected the biggest flood risk of the day to come at high tide at lunch time, but high tide at midnight on Friday was seen to be a higher risk with coastal flooding a “real and present risk”, Cole said.
The evacuation of seaside village Jaywick started on Thursday night but was put on hold by mid-morning while police waited for assessments from the Environment Agency. That evacuation was “reinvigorated” by 11am and by early afternoon about 200 officers were knocking on doors urging people to leave.
A rest centre with inflatable beds, sleeping bags and hot food was set up at Tendring Education Centre, Jaywick Lane, Clacton, for Jaywick and Mistley residents.
Mersea residents were being directed to the Mica Centre in West Mersea “until their homes were safe to return to”.
Some residents facing evacuation have expressed concerns about looting, but Cole said there would be increased police patrols around empty properties.
“If anyone thinks they can come with a van and commit crime in any of these areas they are wrong,” he said.
Suffolk police identified about 1,880 properties at risk.
The EA moved more than five miles (8km) of temporary barriers and 25 pumps to depots and towns along the east coast, while the Chief Fire Officers Association said it had mobilised 15 fire and rescue services to assist in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Humberside.
About 100 soldiers from the Catterick army base have been deployed to Skegness, the Ministry of Defence said.
Three schools in Norfolk and nine schools in Lincolnshire, including five in Skegness, were closed for the day.
North Yorkshire’s coastal residents were also warned to be prepared for large tidal surges on Friday afternoon. Tourists and local residents were being asked to avoid walking on coastal paths and promenades with large waves expected to crash into land at about 4pm.
In particular the high tides were expected to affect Sandsend, Whitby and Scarborough.
Property owners in the areas at risk were being urged to start building flood defences with sandbags to protect their homes. Harbour walls and piers at Whitby and Scarborough were cordoned off to prevent access.
The floods minister, Therese Coffey, said: “Our absolute priority is protecting lives, homes and businesses from the serious threat of coastal flooding currently facing the east coast.”
The flooding threat came as the country was hit by wintry conditions, with severe Met Office weather warnings in place across the country for ice.
Temperatures plummeted to -2C (28.4F) in parts of the east and south-east during the early hours of Friday, and Scotland and the north of England were covered with a blanket of snow.
Flights at Manchester airport were delayed as aircraft were de-iced, while Eurostar cancelled two trains between London and Paris.
About 2,000 homes lost power and 25 schools were closed across north and north-east Scotland as the Met Office warned the polar weather would bring snowfall as deep at as 20cm (8in) on higher ground.
Gale-force winds forced the cancellation of ferry services from the Scottish mainland to islands such as Mull, while the number of road closures continued to rise as heavy snow hit routes in the Scottish Borders and Highlands.
HM Coastguard, which helps coordinate mountain rescues, urged climbers and walkers to take great care in the Highlands during the adverse weather after a spate of incidents in recent weeks.
In a blog on the coastguard’s website, Supt Colin Gough said: “Our mountains should not be underestimated as they can be unforgiving for even the most experienced. Severe weather conditions forecast in the coming days could change your environment within minutes and navigation could become difficult. White-out snow conditions could also make paths and tracks dangerously impassable.”
Conditions are expected to turn milder and become more settled over the weekend.
