Flood warnings in place for the River Avon

The Environment Agency has two flood warnings in place that affect Salisbury and the surrounding areas on the River Avon.

Locally there are also reports of Town Path between Salisbury and Harnham being under water and flooded underpasses.

The first is for the Upper Avon between Amesbury and Salisbury. The warning says, "River levels are rising steadily on the Upper Hampshire Avon due to heavy rainfall.

"Flooding is forecast to affect locations near the Upper Hampshire Avon, with low lying land expected to be most affected, particularly around Great Durnford, Upper Woodford, Middle Woodford and Lower Woodford.

"Flooding is affecting Great Durnford, Upper Woodford, Middle Woodford and Lower Woodford from 6:00 PM on 19/02/2024."

The second warning covers the Middle and Lower Hampshire Avon, "River levels are rising steadily on the Middle and Lower Hampshire Avon due to heavy rainfall.

"Flooding is forecast to affect locations near the Middle and Lower Hampshire Avon, with low lying land expected to be most affected, particularly around areas in Britford, Charlton All Saints, Downton and Fordingbridge in close proximity to the River Avon.

"Flooding is affecting areas in Britford, Charlton All Saints, Downton and Fordingbridge in close proximity to the River Avon from 4:00 PM on 19/02/2024."

Wiltshire Council are also reminding people of the risks of flooding and some of the support available.

Cllr Caroline Thomas, Cabinet Member for Flooding, said: “Climate change is bringing wetter weather to Britain, and in Wiltshire we are seeing increased rainfall in the county, more weather warnings and more properties at risk of flooding.

“It is vitally important that people are adequately prepared and know what to do in the event of a flood. People should ensure they are registered for Environment Agency flood alerts, and they can notify us of any flooding incidents or weather emergencies through our MyWilts app or website.

“We have been working closely with town and parish councils and flood wardens to ensure they are fully prepared and equipped with emergency supplies such as sandbags. However, we must not become complacent regarding the risk of flooding.”

The council works closely with the Environment Agency, water companies, and town and parish councils through its network of flood wardens to ensure communities are as resilient as possible, and to help them prepare effectively.

Flood wardens create and maintain a parish’s flood plans, listing areas of high risk and vulnerable people within the parish, and can access flood resilience equipment such as sandbags, gel sacks, signs and pumps to support their local community.

To find out more, people can use these links: