Floods cause 'major incident' in Northamptonshire

Residents have been evacuated from Billing Aquadrome as a major incident is declared

A major incident has been declared by emergency services in Northamptonshire after flooding from Storm Bert.

The county's fire service said a number of alerts and warnings remained in place – including a severe warning issued for Billing Aquadrome due to threat to life.

About 1,000 people at the caravan site, near Northampton, have been evacuated and West Northamptonshire Council said it was providing a rest centre for about 84 people at Lings Forum Leisure Centre.

Several roads in the county have been closed and no services are stopping at Northampton railway station, which will continue into Tuesday.

• Live flooding updates for Northamptonshire

The Environment Agency issued a severe flood warning for the River Nene at Billing Aquadrome and nearby business parks.

Northamptonshire Police has also put road closures in place in areas of Northampton, Corby and other parts of the county, following the significant rainfall.

Drivers have been urged to only travel when necessary and avoid floodwater.

Further information on closures and flooding can be found on West Northamptonshire Council's website and North Northamptonshire Council's page.

An emergency services vehicle ploughed through water to help near Billing Aquadrome

The county's fire service said flood sirens were sounded in the morning at Billing Aquadrome and agencies assisted the management of the park to evacuate the site.

"However, some people remain at the location, which is cut off from access, and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service expect to be carrying out boat rescues for the rest of the day," it said in a statement.

"A multi-agency response involving fire, police, North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire councils, the Environment Agency and local NHS partners has been put together to ensure a joint response is in place to protect residents - with the potential for further severe weather expected later this week as well," it added.

'One in 100 flood'

Ben Thornley, from the Environment Agency, said Northampton had never seen such a flow of flood water in the agency's knowledge

Ben Thornley, area flood risk manager for the Environment Agency, said the flooding in the county was "the highest flows [of water] through Northampton that we've ever seen".

He said: "180 tonnes of water a second was flowing through Northampton this weekend. We believe this is at least a one in a 100 flood.

"We expect significant challenges as the water travels down through the Nene catchment, heading through Thrapston and up towards Peterborough."

There are no trains stopping at Northampton railway station in the near future due to flooding

Early morning photos showed Northampton railway station underwater, but the levels have since receded.

However, due to engineering checks, services will be unable to stop at the station on Tuesday. Rail replacement buses are in place.