The number of flood alerts in England jumped by almost a third (Image: Getty)
Flood warnings hit a record high in England during 2024, figures have revealed.
The number of flood alerts issued by the Environment Agency jumped by almost a third between 2023 and 2024 to 7,625.
This was the highest number of warnings issued in a year since current records began in 2006.
Last year, there were 5,110 alerts, 2,510 warnings, and five severe warnings, which is the equivalent of 21 alerts per day or 147 per week.
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Meteorologist Gemma Plumb, the UK weather and climate lead at Weather Change, said: “Climate change is making our weather more extreme and this is having a real impact on people’s lives.
“Here in the UK, we have already seen climate change bring more intense rainfall and this brings the greater risk of flooding.
“We are now seeing that rainfall associated with autumn and winter storms in the UK is becoming more intense and more likely.”
Climate change leads to flooding because it warms the atmosphere, which can hold more water vapour.
This can cause heavier rainfall, which can lead to flash floods or overflowing rivers and dams.
Sofie Jenkinson, co-director of Round Our Way, who did the flooding analysis, said: “People up and down the country are having to deal with the consequences of flooding in their homes, their businesses and important local services due to the increased rain we are seeing in the UK as a consequence of climate change.
“We need to see increased preparedness across the UK for extreme weather events, including crucial maintenance of the drain network, but we also need urgent action to tackle the causes of increased heavy rain, which will continue to wreak havoc in our communities.”
Thousands of homes have already flooded this year when rain battered the UK soon after the new year.