Update on Storm Christoph

In order to be as prepared as possible and provide a co-ordinated response a major incident has been declared following the arrival of Storm Christoph.

Over the past 24 hours there has been heavy rainfall across the county and there are now four flood warnings in place as well as a number of flood alerts.

As a result a number of homes have been evacuated across the county, this has included:

• Northwich Marina – 31 persons evacuated
• Liverpool Road, Warrington – 1 person evacuated
• Old Mill Place, Tattenhall – 30 people evacuated
• Longshaw Street, Warrington and surrounding areas - 80 people evacuated
• Spinney Close, Ellesmere Port – 1 people evacuated
• Parkgate Road, Chester – 2 people evacuated
• Lakeside Caravan Park, Winsford – 4 Caravans have been evacuated
• Rhostherne Close, Warrington – 3 people evacuated
• Densham Avenue – Warrington – 4 people evacuated

The evacuations have been co-ordinated by the Cheshire Local Resilience Forum and led by the relevant local authority, with support from a number of agencies including Cheshire Constabulary, the Environment Agency and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.

All of the affected residents have been offered alternation accommodation at nearby hotels or Covid secure rest centres.

There is also surface water flooding on a number of the county’s roads and anyone making an essential journey is urge to take extra care.

Superintendent Simon Parsonage from Cheshire Constabulary said: “We are continuing to work closely with our partners to monitor the situation and collectively we will do all we can to minimise any disruption across the county and keep people safe.

“There are currently restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic but I want to stress that the safety of the public remains our priority and I urge anyone who is asked to evacuate to follow the guidance given so that we can ensure this is managed in a Covid safe way.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely as it develops over the next 48 hours and I would urge anyone affected by flooding to keep up-to-date with the latest news on the Environment Agency website.”

Residents are also reminded not to walk or drive through any flood water – this is often deeper than it looks, it may be moving fast and there could be hidden hazards underneath such as raised manhole covers, which can pose a danger.

Anyone concerned about potential flooding should sign up for free flood warnings on the Environment Agency's website, follow them on Twitter @EnvAgencyNW for the latest information or you can call the Flood Line on 0345 988 1188.