Flood waters 'could last for months'
Groundwater levels are so high in some parts of the country that flooding is likely to persist for weeks or even months, experts say.
A scientist with the British Geological Survey (BGS) said levels were likely to keep rising even if there was no more rain as so much water was soaking through the soil.
He told the BBC waters could keep increasing for months.
The BGS runs 32 boreholes across the country to measure water levels.
It said nine of them show record water levels and one has never been so full in its 179 years of operation.
A disturbing picture of flooded Britain is revealed in new figures about the saturation of the ground. The British Geological Survey runs 32 boreholes across the country and an astonishing nine of them show record water levels. One has never been so full in its 179 years of operation.
The scientists analysing the data describe it as extraordinary. And these high levels are not just of scientific interest. They mean that the ground is at full capacity, so any more rain inevitably means more flooding. Readings from the rivers are equally alarming. Of 65 river sampling stations, 17 have never seen such high average flows for January. And the worrying development is that these exceptional flows have lasted so long and are likely to continue.
The last thing anyone needs now is more rain but that’s exactly what’s forecast. As one scientist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology put it: “There’s literally nowhere for more water to go - the ground is full.” That can only worsen the great pulses of floodwater now heading downstream. Most floods are short and severe; this one is in a long-lasting and hazardous league of its own.
“We fully expect it will take several weeks to fully return to normality,” Andy McKenzie told the BBC News Channel.
On Tuesday, more wet weather affected flood-stricken parts of the UK.
Fourteen severe flood warnings are in place along the Thames in Berkshire and Surrey, and two in Somerset.
And the Environment Agency said further periods of heavy rain were expected to affect the south of England, causing more disruption from river and surface-water flooding.
Last month, the Met Office said parts of England had experienced their wettest January since records began, more than 100 years ago.
And the figures for this winter - December, January and February - could also break records.
Prime Minister David Cameron said the floods were a “huge challenge” and “we are in it for a long haul”.
While on a visit to Dawlish, Devon, where a stretch of railway was washed away in the floods, he said: “The government will do everything it can to co-ordinate the nation’s resources; if money needs to be spent it will be spent, if resources are required we will provide them, if the military can help they will be there.
A total of 1,600 troops are available to help, with some already deployed to help parts of southern England.
Labour leader Ed Miliband, on a visit to Wraysbury, said flood defences should be made a higher priority by the government.
A scientist with the British Geological Survey (BGS) said levels were likely to keep rising even if there was no more rain as so much water was soaking through the soil.
He told the BBC waters could keep increasing for months.
The BGS runs 32 boreholes across the country to measure water levels.
It said nine of them show record water levels and one has never been so full in its 179 years of operation.
A disturbing picture of flooded Britain is revealed in new figures about the saturation of the ground. The British Geological Survey runs 32 boreholes across the country and an astonishing nine of them show record water levels. One has never been so full in its 179 years of operation.
The scientists analysing the data describe it as extraordinary. And these high levels are not just of scientific interest. They mean that the ground is at full capacity, so any more rain inevitably means more flooding. Readings from the rivers are equally alarming. Of 65 river sampling stations, 17 have never seen such high average flows for January. And the worrying development is that these exceptional flows have lasted so long and are likely to continue.
The last thing anyone needs now is more rain but that’s exactly what’s forecast. As one scientist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology put it: “There’s literally nowhere for more water to go - the ground is full.” That can only worsen the great pulses of floodwater now heading downstream. Most floods are short and severe; this one is in a long-lasting and hazardous league of its own.
“We fully expect it will take several weeks to fully return to normality,” Andy McKenzie told the BBC News Channel.
On Tuesday, more wet weather affected flood-stricken parts of the UK.
Fourteen severe flood warnings are in place along the Thames in Berkshire and Surrey, and two in Somerset.
And the Environment Agency said further periods of heavy rain were expected to affect the south of England, causing more disruption from river and surface-water flooding.
Last month, the Met Office said parts of England had experienced their wettest January since records began, more than 100 years ago.
And the figures for this winter - December, January and February - could also break records.
Prime Minister David Cameron said the floods were a “huge challenge” and “we are in it for a long haul”.
While on a visit to Dawlish, Devon, where a stretch of railway was washed away in the floods, he said: “The government will do everything it can to co-ordinate the nation’s resources; if money needs to be spent it will be spent, if resources are required we will provide them, if the military can help they will be there.
A total of 1,600 troops are available to help, with some already deployed to help parts of southern England.
Labour leader Ed Miliband, on a visit to Wraysbury, said flood defences should be made a higher priority by the government.
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