Councils press for cash after flood major incident

Hundreds of households suffered flooding across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, with more than 80 people rescued by crews

Councils in Leicestershire and Rutland have called on the government to release more cash for flood-hit communities following a major incident that saw dozens of people rescued.

Hundreds of people were displaced as 630 homes were affected by widespread flooding in the counties, according to LLR Prepared, a multi-agency forum made up of local authorities and emergency services.

A major incident was declared by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service on Monday after snowfall and heavy rain over the weekend.

LLR Prepared released a letter sent by the councils to the minister for water and flooding Emma Hardy, stressing the "torrid situation" after the major incident was stood down on Wednesday.

The letter said: "This is the second year in a row where hundreds of residents are left homeless and local pubs, sports clubs and others do not know if they will be able to survive.

"Many are cleaning up after just getting on their feet after Storm Henk battered the area just 12 months ago."

It added flooding needed "propelling to the top of the agenda".

Environment Secretary Steve Reed visited Quorn in Leicestershire on Thursday to see the impact of flooding and meet Environment Agency teams.

"There is much more work needed to be done to protect homes, including those in Quorn," he said.

"That is why we are investing £2.4 billion over the next two years to build and maintain flood defences, protecting homes and businesses across the country."

The Environment Agency said river levels in Leicestershire "inched above" those recorded during Storm Henk in 2024

LLR Prepared - which includes Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, Rutland County Council and district and borough authorities - said the number of homes impacted was still rising.

Among the worst affected areas were Leicester, where 241 homes were flooded, and the Blaby district where 177 homes were hit.

"The right thing is for government to release funding now and activate the Flood Recovery Framework to help them survive and get back to some kind of normality," the forum added.

Large-scale response

During the major incident, the fire service received nearly 400 calls and rescued more than 80 people from homes and cars, while more than 160 roads were flooded.

Leicestershire Police handled more than 2,100 calls on Monday, a near 50% rise on its average daily demand, according to the forum.

Volunteers from Leicestershire Search and Rescue were also drafted in to support the fire service on Monday.

A severe, risk-to-life flood warning was issued for the River Soar at caravan parks near Barrow-upon-Soar, which was followed by a large-scale rescue operation at Proctors Park.

The agency later downgraded the warning but warned river levels were still "very high".

Some residents said the flooding was the worst they could remember, while the Environment Agency said river levels in parts of Leicestershire were higher than those during Storm Henk in January 2024.

A number of people were rescued from a caravan park in Barrow upon Soar

As pressures increased on emergency services, East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) also declared its first ever critical incident on Monday.

The critical incident was stood down by EMAS on Wednesday as it warned the NHS in the region was "fragile".

Chief fire officer Callum Faint told the BBC: "It wasn't until [Wednesday] evening that I saw some of the footage from the Proctors caravan park and the marina area and it kind of really hit home with me in that moment just how severe these floods were."

He added while the major incident had been stood down, there was still "a lot of work to do".

A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "Flooding is devastating for those affected and we hope that people can get back on with their lives as soon as possible.

"We know that local authorities are working hard to provide support, and we are working with them to understand the impacts on communities, households and businesses."