ALTHOUGH today is set to be drier than yesterday, there is more rain predicted over the weekend and there are still road closures and flooding around the county.

The emergency services were called to a number of flood-related incidents over night, with reports of people trapped in shallow water in Staunton-on-Wye and Tillington, and also flooding in Lea and Madley.

Road closures (7.30am, December 22)

  • B4349 Clehonger to Kingstone - Passable with care Flooding
  • A438 Powys boundary towards Hereford, intermittent areas -Passable with care Flooding
  • B4399 Holme Lacy Road, Hereford -  Passable with care Flooding
  • A4110 Between Lawtons Cross and Bainstree Cross, north west county - Passable with care Flooding - River Arrow
  • C1105 Between Ivington Mill and Newtown, Leominster - Passable with care Flooding - River Arrow
  • A480 Lyonshall - Passable with extreme care Flooding
  • A44 Bredenbury - Passable with extreme care Flooding
  • C1126 Marden - near Sutton Walls - Closed Flooding
  • B4361 Broadward, south of Leominster - Passable with extreme care Flooding
  • C1122 Haywood Lane - Closed Flooding
  • B4362 Ashley Moor - Closed Flooding
  • C1035 Eardisland village - Closed Flooding
  • C1120 Moreton railway crossing - Marden - Closed Flooding
  • A456 Little Hereford - Passable with extreme care Flooding
  • C1144 Larport Lane - Closed Flooding

The council is warning residents that flooding could occur on roads with rainfall running off already saturated ground and there are reports of a road flooded at Crossways in Peterchurch and standing water on the B4214 between Bromyard and Tenbury Wells and the A438 at The Weir Gardens.

In a statement on its website, it says the Environment Agency is monitoring river response closely.

In the event of flooding Herefordshire Council has made arrangements with some parish councils to hold stocks of sandbags for local use in areas where there is a known risk of flooding.

In rural areas, residents’ first point of contact for assistance with sandbags should be their local parish council. This service is provided free of charge - for details of whether your local parish council has requested sandbags visit the sandbags page.

Alternatively, Herefordshire Council holds a limited stock of filled sandbags for the public to collect at times of emergency from the following depots:

  • Rotherwas Depot, Unit 3, Thorn Business Park, Rotherwas, Hereford, HR2 6JT Kingsland Depot, Street Lane, Kingsland, HR6 9RG.
  • Bromyard Depot, Hereford Road, Bromyard, HR7 4ET Ross-on-Wye Depot, Ashburton Industrial Estate, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7BW.

For any enquiries regarding flooding, please call the council's switchboard on 01432 260000.

Fire Service warning

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service are urging people to stay alert.

Station Commander Alan Haley said: “It’s a good idea to have a list of useful phone numbers ready in case of flooding and to keep it somewhere safe.

"If your home does begin to flood, turn off your electricity supply, and do not touch any sources of electricity such as switches or appliances when you are standing in flood water.

He also urged motorists to be vigilant, as 'driving through flood water can be extremely dangerous because it is impossible to see how deep the water is or whether there are hazards under the water which could damage your car and leave you stranded'.

For up-to-date flood watch information, please call Floodline on 0845 988 1188 or visit our traffic and travel page.