“Please don’t drive through flood water - just 30cm can float a car,” the Environment Agency urged on Wednesday as flood risk stayed high across Somerset and Dorset following Storm Chandra. A major incident has been declared in Somerset, and a Met Office yellow warning for rain is in place on Thursday 29 January for the South West. (gov.uk)

Agency teams are switching on pumps as soon as river levels allow and bringing in additional ultra high‑volume kit to Northmoor and Saltmoor on the Levels. In Dorset, a severe flood warning for the Lower Stour at Iford Bridge Home Park has prompted an evacuation of a caravan site and car park led by local authorities. (gov.uk)

By late afternoon the Environment Agency estimated 63 properties had sadly been flooded, while nearly 10,900 properties had been protected by its interventions - a reminder that action on the ground can and does hold back the worst of it. (gov.uk)

Local officers reporting to Somerset Rivers Authority say near Taunton this has been the wettest seven‑day spell since records began there in 1995, spillways are running and the moors are filling. Additional pumps are being installed at Northmoor, Saltmoor, Elson’s Clyse and Currymoor, with national resources drafted in. The ‘major incident’ status helps partners move faster if conditions worsen. (somersetriversauthority.org.uk)

Residents can speak with staff at Northmoor/Moorland village hall today, 28 January, while round‑the‑clock monitoring continues. Rivers, moors and levels can keep rising even as the rain eases, so officials are asking people to heed local warnings and stay well clear of flood water. (gov.uk)

This isn’t just a West Country story. The same system has brought snow and ice further north this week, with the Met Office flagging hill snow and tricky travel in northern England. For readers on the Tyne, Tees, Aire and Irwell, saturated catchments and blocked drains mean a heavy shower can turn fast. (metoffice.gov.uk)

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said she is in regular contact with the EA and councils in the South West and urged residents to follow local advice. She pointed to a record £10.5bn programme to protect a further 900,000 properties by 2036, alongside more than £100m reprioritised for maintaining existing defences. (gov.uk)

For households and small firms, take five minutes now: sign up for flood warnings by text, phone or email on GOV.UK and save Floodline in your phone - 0345 988 1188. Move vehicles to higher ground where safe, check yard drains and gullies, and never walk or drive into flood water. (gov.uk)

On the Somerset Levels, new pumps are expected to start from Thursday evening into Friday, subject to river capacity. Even with a lull in rainfall, fields and some roads are likely to stay under water for a while yet. We’ll keep tracking developments in the South West - and what they mean for northern communities - as the week unfolds. (somersetriversauthority.org.uk)