Work to sort flooded A47 ahead of Storm Ciarán

A stretch of the A47 in Norfolk was flooded twice in October

Highways bosses say they are working to fix a broken water pipe which flooded a major road ahead of Storm Ciarán.

The A47 at Honingham in Norfolk was closed during Storm Babet and again at the weekend during heavy rain.

Residents living nearby told BBC Radio Norfolk that diverted traffic had caused chaos on narrow, local roads which had led to at least one crash.

National Highways said flooding on the A47 was due to a "number of factors" and that fixing the broken pipe would "improve the situation".

"The persistent flooding has been treated as a priority and we have undertaken investigation work since last week to trace the cause," a spokesperson said.

"Repair work to the pipe began on Monday night and will continue overnight this week to minimise local disruption."

Weather forecasters say Storm Ciarán could bring up to 30mm of rain to Norfolk over the next two days, which could fall over already-saturated ground.

National Highways says a "gulley sucker" was used to help clear flooding last month

People living close to Honingham said they had never known flooding to be so bad and that drivers diverted off the A47 had entered narrow country roads which were not suitable for vehicles travelling in both directions.

John Morse, chairman of nearby Marlingford and Colton Parish Council, said grass verges had been destroyed and roads were left covered in mud.

He said a motorcyclist came off their bike after hitting a hidden pothole.

"There's damage to folks' walls and there are lorry tracks inside people's properties," he added.

"We have had correspondence on an almost daily basis with Norfolk County Council and initially their plan is to clean the roads and then to repair the verges.

"They've said that they're waiting for more favourable weather, whenever that might happen."

'Yellow warning'

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for parts of the East of England which is in place until 23:59 GMT on Thursday.

Henry Cator, chairman the Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance, said the group was working to alleviate flooding when it occurred and that maintaining the county's waterways was of utmost importance.

"For every £1 spent on maintenance you're going to save £11 in the effects of flooding," he said.

National Highways said pumping equipment would remain close to the A47 throughout the week to "mitigate any further heavy rainfall."