More than 150 homes in Lincolnshire flooded as county council chief reflects on impact of extreme weather

More than 150 properties across Lincolnshire have been affected by internal flooding, as county deals with the aftermath of two inches of rainfall within two hours yesterday.

The Lincolnshire Resilience Forum (LRF) declared a major incident due to widespread flooding on Monday (January 6), following in the footsteps of Leicestershire and Rutland as heavy rain fell throughout the day.

Thirty-one Environment Agency flood warnings, indicating that flooding is expected, and 30 flood alerts, where flooding is possible, remain in effect today (Tuesday).

Speaking during a meeting of Lincolnshire County Council's executive, Coun Colin Davie, portfolio holder for economic development, environment, and planning, highlighted the "devastating number" of flooding incidents, many of which occurred in properties previously affected by storms.

"As of this morning, we have confirmed over 150 properties with internal flooding," he said.

"I suspect that number will rise as the emergency was yesterday, and some people will not have reported it yet.

"I suspect we could see up to 200 properties in total by the time the reporting process is completed."

See all of our Lincolnshire flooding coverage here

Coun Davie described the rainfall as "very intense" and noted it was worse than forecast, meaning many were "caught off guard".

He added: "At the end of the day, these events have been happening with regular frequency over the last few years. They are quite clearly setting a pattern for the future, and we have to plan for that."

Coun Lindsey Cawrey (Conservative), portfolio holder for fire and rescue and cultural services, highlighted that Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue had received 126 flooding-related calls.

She noted that the worst-affected areas were in the south of the county, particularly in South Kesteven, including Billingborough.

Coun Cawrey also mentioned that reports of flooding in Wainfleet were received at about 11pm on Monday, prompting fire and rescue to mobilise two crews.

Officers found that the Steeping River had overtopped, but the incident was not deemed major.

In Lincoln, the Brayford Pool also overtopped, flooding the street near some local restaurants, similar to what occurred after Storm Babet in October 2023.

Leader Martin Hill (Conservative) paid tribute to the volunteers and local organisations assisting in the affected areas, describing the situation as "very devastating" for some people.

However, he noted that the situation was now "calming down" and that water was starting to recede.