Four flood alerts issued for Northumberland as Storm Christoph hits North East

Storm Christoph has brought heavy rain across much of the UK and an alert has now been issued to warn of possible flooding.

Four flood alerts have been issued for the the Lower River Coquet, Upper River Coquet, Rivers Pont and Blyth and River Rede at Otterburn.

River levels have risen on the Lower River Coquet and its tributaries in Northumberland due to heavy rainfall on Tuesday, January 19, and overnight.

As a result, flooding of riverside footpaths and low lying land and roads is expected to continue on Wednesday, January 20.

A spokesman for the flood information service said: “Further rainfall is forecast to continue falling across the catchment today and consequently we expect river levels to remain high.

"We are closely monitoring the situation but do not currently expect to issue any Flood Warnings.

"Our incident response staff are out on the ground checking defences and clearing any blockages from rivers.

"Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses.”

Heavy rainfall is set to continue throughout the day across Northumberland and the wider North East as the Met Office's yellow weather warning remains in place until 12pm on Thursday, January 21.

The weather warning was first issued at midnight on Tuesday, January 19.

Forecasters have warned that homes and businesses could be flooded and could lead to train and bus services being delayed or cancelled.

Spray and flooding could also lead to difficult driving conditions and some lane closures – which could mean some communities may be cut off by flooded roads.

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