Britain hit with 50 flood warnings as heavy rains batter the country

Britain continues to be battered by extreme weather, with 50 flood warnings still in place.
Flood warnings and alerts have been issued for across the east coast of England, with Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk getting worst hit.

The Environment Agency has put in place 15 flood warnings, which warn that ‘immediate action is required’, and 35 flood alerts, where residents are told to ‘be prepared’.

Thousands of people were urged to leave their homes when the warnings were first put in place, with a number of ‘severe flood warnings’ warning of ‘danger to life’.
Red Cross volunteers were drafted in to help evacuate people from their homes and get them to emergency rest centres in the county.

However, in the early hours of Saturday morning the residents of Jaywick, Essex, were told they could return to their homes after no signs of flooding after all.
A rest centre in Clacton had 230 residents at its peak – but another in West Mersea had absolutely no visitors at all.

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Deputy Chief Constable Matthew Horne, from Essex Police, defended the flood warnings to residents, saying they were grounded in science and advice from the EA and the Met Office.

‘We prepare for the worst case scenario and we would be happy to take the same decision again should we be faced with the same advice as we have had over the last 36 hours,’ he said.

Despite the flooding not being as severe as expected on Friday, huge tides and strong winds continue to batter the east coast.