Lincolnshire flooding forces caravan park residents to leave homes

Static homes at a caravan park have been evacuated as widespread flooding across Lincolnshire continues.

Part of Torksey Lock Caravan Park, 11 miles (17km) north-west of Lincoln, was hit by floodwater earlier.

Resident Graham Hill said about 25 people had been forced to leave their homes.

He told BBC Radio Lincolnshire his own caravan was "six to eight feet away" from being flooded.

"People are having to move into other people's caravans and find accommodation where they can," he said.

"We can do nothing except ask questions and keep an eye out," he said.

"We've got no electricity, we're just left in limbo."

At 19:30 GMT, the River Trent's levels at Torksey stood at 23ft 4in (7.16m), according to the government's measuring station in the area.

That figure was about double its normal levels and within 6in (15cm) of its record height, which was set in 2000.

Earlier in the day, Dunham Toll Bridge, which carries the A57 over the river between the villages of Newton on Trent and Dunham on Trent on the border of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, was closed due to flooding.

The Environment Agency said rising river levels had led to flooding in the surrounding area.

Properties were not expected to flood, but drivers were advised to avoid the area.

Bridge supervisor Glynn Holmes, 73, said it was "pretty disastrous".

"We have fields on either side, and they have to fill up before it gets on to the road, so if the road is flooded, the fields are underwater," he said.

"At its deepest, it's probably up to 3ft."

Mr Holmes added that although river levels had peaked, it would take some time for the situation to improve.

Lincolnshire Police urged motorists to find alternative routes if possible and shared drone footage on social media showing the extent of the flooding.

An official diversion was later put in place, taking traffic via the A1 and A46, and officials have warned that elevated water levels on the river could remain an issue for a number of days.

Officials said they were also watching the situation at Torksey Lock, between Lincoln and Gainsborough, where levels on the River Trent had reached 22ft 11in (7m).

Mark Baxter, chief fire officer for Lincolnshire and chair of the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum, said water levels were "still rising and the prediction is they are going to rise a little bit more".

However, he said there was a "reasonable level of confidence we are going to be able hold it" and contingency plans were in place, with pumps being used to manage water levels and sandbags being issued in the lock area to give additional protection.

He added that the next 12 hours would be the "critical" period.

Flood alerts have been issued for the Fossdyke Canal and the River Trent from Cromwell Weir to Gainsborough and more than 20 flood warnings remain in place.

The Environment Agency said water levels in most parts of Lincolnshire were falling, but more than 100 properties had been flooded in the aftermath of Storm Henk, while a further 152 have seen external flooding.

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