People urged to take extra care as weather warnings remain in place across West Northants

Over the weekend the area saw extreme rainfall causing surface flooding across the area, with yellow weather warnings for heavy rain in place until later tonight. Residents can keep updated via the Met Office.

Cllr Adam Brown, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council said: “We are currently working with our partners including police and fire to respond to the ongoing weather situation and supporting with incidents of localised flooding. With heavy rainfall expected to continue throughout today we are closely monitoring the situation to ensure we can support residents through this changing situation.

“We would urge everyone to take extra care and keep an eye on the police, fire service and our social media feeds for updates and visit our flooding advice pages for further information and support.”

Residents can report flooding via our website, and in the event of an emergency where someone is in danger, people should dial 999 or 112.

People can stay informed about the latest flood alerts and warnings on the Government website and are advised to be cautious, especially if out and about on the roads. To help keep everyone safe, here are some safety tips from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service:

• Keep an eye on weather reports for flooding in your area. Do not travel in heavy rain unless absolutely necessary
• Do not ignore road closed signs
• Never attempt to cross or drive through floodwater if you don’t know how deep the water is - just two feet of water will float a car
• Never try to swim through fast flowing water or floodwater – you may get swept away or be injured by an object in the water
• Don’t assume fords are safe to cross just because the road is not closed - always look at the river level gauge and use your common sense
• Floodwater may be contaminated, never allow children or pets to go near or play in floodwater
• Prepare a flood kit in case your home floods or you are trapped in a vehicle for any period. This should contain a change of clothing, wellies, waterproofs and blankets as well as a torch, charged mobile, medication and a first aid kit and a list of useful numbers, including flood alert lines.