Flood alert

Areas affected: Groundwater flooding in the High Wycombe area

ACTIVE

Started at: 09:22 BST on Wed 29 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 recent drier conditions, groundwater levels have continued to drop over the last week. 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 an unsettled week (29 April to 5 May 2020) with potentially heavy showers at times. We continue to monitor groundwater levels and will update this message next week by 6 May 2020, or as the situation changes.

Issued at: 09:22 BST on Wed 29 April

Issued by: The Environment Agency