Last week the Environment Agency issued a flood alert for the High Wycombe area.

Flood alert

Areas affected: Groundwater flooding in the High Wycombe area

ACTIVE

Started at: 10:03 BST on Wed 15 April

Flooding is possible – be prepared

Groundwater levels are high at our Piddington observation borehole near High Wycombe. Groundwater has reached a level where communities – particularly those near Radnage and in the Hughenden Valley – could be affected within weeks by flooding from groundwater. However, due to the ongoing drier conditions, groundwater levels have now started to drop.

Levels at the Piddington observation borehole are below the level where we would expect to see flooding impacts but there may be locations where groundwater is flooding at the surface. Low-lying land and roads would be at risk of flooding first. Due to the nature of groundwater behaviour, this situation could continue for several weeks or longer dependent on rainfall conditions. The weather forecast is for a mainly dry week (15 April to 21 April 2020) with potential for showers on Friday and Saturday. We continue to monitor groundwater levels and will update this message next week by 22 April 2020, or as the situation changes.

Issued at: 10:03 BST on Wed 15 April Issued by: The Environment Agency