Andrew Humphrey
Live reporter

That's it for our coverage of the flooding across the country for today, but there's plenty more information across BBC News:

• To read our news story on the flooding, click here
• Rishi Sunak has been urged to do more for flood-hit areas by opposition parties
• If you're in a flooded area but you do need to drive, we have some tips for you
• And don't forget you can get the latest weather forecasts here

Today's coverage was brought to you by Sam Hancock, Gem O'Reilly, Helen Nainias, Pippa Allen-Kinross, Katherine Bainbridge, Thomas Mackintosh, Malu Cursino, Barbara Tasch and Jamie Whitehead. It was edited by Nadia Ragozhina, James Harness and me.

Thank you for joining us.

We'll be bringing this page to a close shortly, so let's have a quick look at what's been happening today, and where we are as we head into the weekend:

• The UK Health Security Agency has issued a cold weather alert which will run from 09:00 tomorrow until 12:00 on Friday 12 January
• Train services are affected this evening, if you need to travel, you can check the status of your journey here , external
• At the moment, there are more than 240 flood warnings and 260 flood alerts, external in place
• This week, more than 1,000 homes have been flooded as a result of flooding caused by Storm Henk
• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says people in badly affected areas should be reassured by the response, but the government's reaction to the flooding has been criticised by opposition parities

Although the Met Office says that the rain will ease up over the weekend, the cold alert means that there is a risk of ice and fog.

You can get the latest weather forecast for your area here.

More extreme weather expected in the futurepublished at 17:55 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

17:55 GMT 5 January

Justin Rowlatt
Climate editor

Image source, James Beech via REUTERS

We all know that how much it rains varies across seasons and between years, but weather experts say there has been a significant increase in heavy winter rainfall over the last decade.

Dr Emily Wallace, an expert in climate extremes at the UK Met Office explains that warmer air can hold more moisture – 7% more for every degree Celsius the temperature rises, to be precise.

She says the situation will only get worse as our climate warms. "In the future, climate projections for the UK indicate there being a greater risk of heavy precipitation and prolonged events in the future, particularly during winter," she warns.

And we aren’t ready for what is coming, says Professor Hannah Cloke, a hydrology expert at Reading University.

“We're definitely not prepared for the weather that we have seen this week,” she told BBC News.

Homes have been flooded, she pointed out, and infrastructure has failed, with roads impassable and trains cancelled and delayed.

“We need to be better at providing flood warnings. We need to have better infrastructure. We need a lot of investment in our sewage systems”, adds Prof Cloke.

Malu Cursino
Live reporter

Winters to come will see warmer, wetter and windier Januaries, Dr Linda Speight from Oxford University tells me. But adapting to these warming temperatures in the UK requires innovative solutions, that go beyond flood defences.

"We can't keep building flood defences higher and higher," she explains. And raising plug sockets off the ground might be part of the solution, the flooding forecast and climate resilience expert says.

Another adaptation to our homes is having hard flooring instead of carpets, "so you can start clearing the water out quickly".

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Understanding that the recovery time - both in emotional and practical terms - for those impacted is just as important as their rescue from dangerous and submerged homes is also part of the solution.

But Dr Speight explains that solutions and resilience measures need to encompass all consequences of a warming planet - flooding in the winter and heatwaves in the summer should be part of the same conversation, she adds.

Alongside other hydrologists, Dr Speight is working to ensure the UK is better prepared for floods with a 25-year roadmap. This work, she explains, will identify gaps in our understanding of the links between climate change and land use, as well as ensuring we have "better science to support decision making".

Image source, PA Media

An Environment Agency spokesperson says greater flood resilience is needed across the country.

Spokeswoman Alex McDonald also says that the East Midlands is "feeling the effects" of climate change.

"We're seeing a large number of big events and this winter has been particularly bad since October onwards.

"So we need to look at how we can work with communities to build that better, to help install property flood resilience measures to people's homes."

Alex also said it's important that people are signed up to flood warnings and "understand their risks".

She added: "We need to look at how we can work with local authorities around the flood protection measures we can offer to communities."

Darren Bett
BBC Weather presenter

As we know, it is going to become colder. But how cold?

From Saturday night we will see widespread frosts with temperatures as low as minus 5 Celsius in Scotland.

Daytime temperatures will typically be 3 or 4 Celsius.

As well as cold and frosty weather, there could be other hazards over the coming days.

Wet ground, long clear nights and light winds is a recipe for mist and fog this weekend.

We've been monitoring all of the flood warnings today and we've just spotted the first "severe" warning being issued.

It has been put in place along the River Kennet in Berkshire from just above Hungerford towards the Newbury bypass.

The Environment Agency warns "property flooding is expected".

It adds: "further scattered showers are forecast overnight and into tomorrow.

"We expect river levels to remain sensitive to further rainfall. We are monitoring the situation and have teams checking blockages.

"Avoid contact with flood water."

David Hegerty lives in Beales Corner in Bewdley, Worcestershire.

He has spent about £60,000 making changes to his home to try and reduce the impact of flooding from the River Severn.

Those flood-resilience measures include moving the kitchen to a higher level, using special porcelain flooring throughout the house, and raising the height of the plug sockets.

He tells Tom Edwards from BBC Hereford and Worcester that he protects his furniture by suspending it from the ceiling on hooks.

Having to go through this process was not a "pleasant experience," he said, but it allowed him to get back to "normality as soon as possible" if water does get in.

We have some reaction from the government from the Water and Flooding Minister who has been visiting Nottinghamshire.

Robbie Moore says the government is taking concerns of repeat flooding in the region "extremely seriously".

Speaking to media the minister said: "There is always more to do but I know how hard local authorities are working."

When asked whether "specific compensation" will be offered to those affected by the floods, the minister said the government is looking at what measures it can put in place.

Image source, Norfolk Rivers Trust

Beavers on the River Glaven in north Norfolk have been credited with holding back some of the flood water in the area with their dams.

Georgia Waye-Barker, communications and media manager of Norfolk Rivers Trust, says: "We do not have an exact figure for water volume, but we know that the stream [the beavers] were released on drains an upstream catchment area of 30 hectares (equivalent to 42 football pitches)."

The Norfolk Rivers Trust estimates that "the dams are holding several swimming pools’ worth of water", she says.

Waye-Barker adds: "The dams are also doing a great job at filtering the sediment and any pollutants from the water."

The beavers are in a seven hectare enclosure in the headwaters of the River Glaven. Two beavers were reintroduced to the site in 2021 and two kits were born earlier this year.

Beavers build dams on waterways to create a pond where they can protect themselves from predators.

Flooding is exceptionally widespreadpublished at 17:19 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

17:19 GMT 5 January

Justin Rowlatt
Climate editor

Image source, Reuters

The first thing that stands out with the floods this year is how widespread they are.

Winter floods are common in the UK, but they usually hit one or two small areas very intensely, while everywhere else escapes relatively unscathed.

There are currently more than 500 flood warnings and alerts in the UK – mostly in southern and central England – that’s a huge number.

It is easy to understand why. The period between July and December last year was the wettest ever recorded in the UK, with records dating all the way back to 1890.

Autumn rainfall was 22% above average, according to the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

In many places, December was even wetter. Rainfall was up to 70% above average in central and northern England, and in eastern Scotland.

And this week we got Storm Henk, the eighth named storm since September. That’s the highest number since the Met Office started naming these most dangerous storms back in 2015.

Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondent

Many affected by the storms that have swept across the UK will be contacting their insurance companies for advice. But cover and compensation can vary significantly depending on the level of impact and small print in policies, although other automatic protection may be in place.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says most home buildings, contents and commercial business policies cover storm damage. It has a six-step recovery guide, external on what to do if your home or business is flooded:

• Contact your insurer as soon as possible: They will advise on emergency accommodation or temporary alternative trading premises
• Assess the damage: A loss adjuster will assess the claim
• Cleaning and stripping out: Work should start within four weeks
• Disinfecting and drying your home: This can take from a few weeks to several months
• Repair and reconstruction: A builder appointed by your loss adjuster should begin after you get your drying certificate
• Moving back in: This can take between a few weeks and a year or more, depending on the extent of the damage

Meanwhile, if your home's been without power during these storms, there are rules in place that mean compensation may be paid by the local electricity distributor.

• Read about this, and more, here

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is calling for the government to fund the emergency flood response in the wake of damage caused by Storm Henk.

The fire service in some areas are "stretched dangerously thin" and there is immense pressure on firefighters to respond "without adequate resources," says Adam Taylor, FBU executive council member for the East Midlands.

"Flooding is on the rise, and we must have the equipment and emergency crews needed to keep people safe. Our services need urgent funding," Taylor says.

"Storm Henk follows a winter of storm after devastating storm – and more is to come," warns Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary. "It’s high time that the government woke up to the realities of the climate emergency," he adds.

The Environment Agency says more than 1,000 homes have been flooded in England this week alone.

Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have criticised the government's response, while Rishi Sunak says people should be reassured by the emergency response in badly hit areas.

Image source, PA Media

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been visiting the North West of England today and told reporters that the Environment Agency had people on the ground in all affected areas and that hundreds of high volume pumps were being used at the moment.

He also stressed how important it was "that people follow the advice that has been given in local areas where there are flood warnings".

Jared Evitts
BBC Newsbeat

Harry Allitt was out for a run in Nottingham when he was confronted by an enormous puddle covering the road.

"I've been lucky it's only affected where I've gone on my run but I know a lot of people have been left a lot worse off by it unfortunately," the 22-year-old says.

Harry has run from his home in West Bridgford which is just outside the city on the south bank of the River Trent.

He says the area has been "quite hard hit" by the flooding with rugby and football pitches "underwater".

"It's quite sad to see but there's nothing we can do at the minute. You don't know what's gonna happen next.

"Hopefully it doesn't get any worse. It's a bit uncertain at the minute."

Image source, PA Media

Drenching a pedestrian by zooming through a puddle near a pavement is not only terrible manners, it is also potentially a criminal offence.

The same law, external which makes driving without due care or attention a crime also stipulates that it is an offence to drive "without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place".

The law calls this "inconsiderate" driving, and it applies to how motorists interact with pedestrians as well as other road users.

Since 2013, the police can hand out £100 fixed penalty notices and three penalty points for lesser road offences, including soaking pedestrians by speeding through puddles, according to the RAC, external.

But more serious cases of inconsiderate driving can end up in court, where magistrates can issue fines of up to £5,000 and add nine points to a licence.

The solution is simple: slow down when you can see there is standing water near a pavement.

• Click here for more wet weather driving tips

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust shared footage of a mole battling its way through the floodwater at Attenborough Nature Reserve.

Luckily the Trust said the plucky mammal was "OK" and had made its own way to dry land.

In a post on Facebook, the charity said: "[It is] amazing to see such resilience in a rarely seen species and brings hope that wildlife can survive and adapt to these events that are ever increasing in the face of climate change."

Watch the clip below.

Residents in the Oxfordshire village of Steventon are trying to unblock the drains themselves and say they feel abandoned by the local authority.

Nikki Bolton has lived here for 20 years; this is the second time she’s been flooded - last time was in 2007 when it took six months to fix her ground floor.

She woke up at midnight to see three inches of flood water in her kitchen, and has been up all night trying to get the water out of her home.

Image source, Great Western Railway

Great Western Railway is warning passengers to travel early and advising customers to check their journey beforehand.

Localised flooding has caused lines to be closed between Reading and Taunton and the Swindon and Bristol Parkway route.

At the moment there is only one route to the west from Paddington. Flooding is blocking direct services to South Wales and Devon and Cornwall.

Last night there was a serious incident near Reading where police closed the railway until the early hours of this morning, which continues to hinder the operator’s ability to run trains.

GWR expects to be able to operate a train an hour on several routes, which you can find here., external

For other area information and travel updates you can find more on National Rail., external

Aerial shots recorded from a helicopter show wide scale flooding across Nottinghamshire.

The video below shows submerged houses and areas cut off by the flood water.