Flood warnings still in place in the East of England due to Storm Ciarán

Flood warnings remain in place after severe weather caused by Storm Ciarán caused major disruption.

More than 70 schools were closed in Suffolk, plus some in Norfolk, on Thursday with hundreds of homes left without power in both counties.

Weather warnings and flood alerts are still in place across the East of England.

Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey said: "The amount of rain that happened in Suffolk has been extraordinary."

The deluge of rain on Thursday came less than two weeks after Storm Babet resulted in widespread flooding.

Ms Coffey, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told BBC Radio Suffolk: "I understand there are multiple villages where they've not experienced this level of rain and flooding before."

The MP praised individuals for helping those who were stuck.

"We saw farmers and others pulling cars out of flooded roads, but I think it's important people don't go into these patches when walking or driving," she said.

Speaking on a national level, Ms Coffey said: "Some things didn't move as quickly as they should've done in terms of flood alerts.

"That's one of those things that once we're through this storm period I want to review quickly."

On Thursday, a yellow warning for strong winds or heavy rain was in place in Buckinghamshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, with an amber warning for parts of Essex.

At least 500 homes in Suffolk were without power, according to the Suffolk Resilience Forum.

The closure of the Orwell Bridge resulted in increased traffic around Ipswich.

There is still localised flooding in isolated parts of the county, with four flood warnings and more than a dozen flood alerts remaining in place.

On Thursday, 70 schools were closed in Suffolk. Seven of these remain shut, including in Creeting, Kersey, Debenham and Worlingworth.

A further 1,150 homes were without power in Norfolk on Thursday.

The Environment Agency still has two flood warnings active in Norfolk, one covering the Rivers Bure, Ant and Thurne and the villages around them.

The second was issued Thursday evening for the River Waveney, from Diss to Bungay.

The most severe weather from Storm Ciarán was expected in Essex.

Initially an amber weather warning for very strong winds was in place for part of the county, but this was removed as the route of the storm changed.

Dave Walpole, from Essex Fire and Rescue Service, said teams ensured equipment and resources were in the "right location at the right time" to help those who were affected.

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