130 people left to be evacuated from Billing Aquadrome as emergency services 'strongly advise' residents to leave

Around 130 people remain on site at Billing Aquadrome, following two days of warnings due to severe flooding during Storm Henk.

The Local Resilience Forum (LRF), which manages emergency planning in Northamptonshire, has said in a statement today (Wednesday January 3) that a further evacuation will take place today, of 130 people who remain in caravans on the holiday park, via NFRS water rescue crews and NSAR volunteers, with emergency accommodation and support available for those who need it.

On Tuesday (January 2), flood sirens sounded at the caravan site and residents were urged to evacuate, after heavy rainfall, which led to rising levels in the River Nene and eventual flooding. This morning, the Environment Agency’s flood warning was escalated to “severe” and a “danger to life”. This has now been de-escalated, but there is still a flood alert in place.

Now, local authorities are urging the last remaining people to evacuate, so they can “bring them to safety during daylight hours”.

A spokesperson for the LRF said: “While we cannot compel anyone to leave, we are strongly advising people to come with us now so we can bring them to safety in a controlled and coordinated way during daylight hours.

“While site management will continue to monitor the situation and liaise with the LRF and Environment Agency, anyone who chooses to stay does so at their own risk, so we really do want people to make that choice to come now.”

Billing Aquadrome posted to its Facebook page today to say “full evacuation is now in process” and that “no access would be given until further notice”.

The latest Environment Agency advice says: “Remain safe and be aware of your local surroundings. Please avoid contact with flood water. Our staff are out in the area to check the flood defences, clear blockages, and assist the emergency services and council.”

Met Office weather warnings for wind and heavy rain were in place across the county until 9pm on Tuesday. However no additions have been made to those warnings, so there are currently none in place for Northamptonshire. NN Weather has predicted higher pressure in the next couple of days, which should mean “drier and brighter conditions will develop”.