In 2025, theUnited Kingdom experienced flooding. In early January, severe rainfall caused widespread floods acrossNorth West England and theEast Midlands.
Around 90 mm (3.5 in) of rainfall in 24 hours brought floods to parts ofEngland andWales onNew Year's Day, prompting theMet Office to issue severe weather warnings; this led to 137 flood warnings being issued by theEnvironment Agency (EA) across England, Scotland and Wales, with extensive flooding affecting parts ofNorth West England, especiallyGreater Manchester.[1] A major incident was declared byGreater Manchester Police in response to flooding acrossBolton,Didsbury,Harpurhey,Stalybridge,Stockport andWigan, as well as parts ofCheshire andLancashire.[2]
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service reported that they had attended over 100 incidents and evacuated almost 1,000 people as a result of the floods: 400 from flats atMeadow Mill in Stockport after they lost electricity and water supplies; 445 from a hotel in Didsbury after power and water supplies were cut off; around 50 other properties in Didsbury; and some evacuations inPlatt Bridge.[3] City centre canals overflowed and theRiver Tame andRiver Mersey reached record highs in places; the latter meant sluice gates had to be opened atFletcher Moss Park where a car was submerged. Around 100 people attending a New Year's Eve event were stranded in Harpurhey. Floods also occurred inCheadle, where a tributary of the Mersey flooded roads and homes, andBroadbottom, where a wall collapsed onto cars and homes were flooded.[4] Three people were rescued from a car submerged in floodwater in Warrington.[2]
Flooding also occurred in Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Yorkshire. Part of theBridgewater Canal's embankment collapsed nearLittle Bollington, causing water to pour out and inundate surrounding fields;Cheshire Police had to evacuate properties, a sewage treatment works was flooded and part of theM56 motorway was closed betweenManchester Airport andBowdon.[5] TheSankey Canal inSt Helens burst its banks, submerging cars and houses inHaydock in several feet of water.[4] Flooding also occurred inLymm, where three people were rescued from a car,Ormskirk, where homes were flooded, andRibchester, where abrook burst its banks and flooded houses. TheM57 motorway was closed betweenKirkby toAintree due to flooding.[2] TheRiver Ure burst its banks nearWensley, North Yorkshire, flooding theA684 road and surrounding fields.[6]
Numerous train lines were blocked by floodwater leading to cancellations across the North West. Trains did not operate betweenManchester andManchester Airport andLiverpool Lime Street, or from bothLiverpool and Manchester toHuddersfield,Leeds andYork.[2] The line betweenManchester Piccadilly andWarrington Central was blocked, as was the line betweenTodmorden andRochdale.[4]
On 5 January, flooding affected areas ofSouth East England, namelySussex, as the region was hit by heavy rain; flood warnings were issued for parts of theAdur, Bull,Cuckmere andOuse rivers. Areas affected by floods includedBarcombe,Hellingly,Isfield andLittlehampton. A number of rail services were affected, with floods hittingFrant railway station and the line betweenArundel andBillingshurst.[7]
Flooding continued into the next day as a yellow rain warning covered the region, with further flood warnings issued by the EA. Fields nearBarcombe Mills were inundated by floodwater from the River Ouse; there was disruption on theA29 road atPulborough as floods affected gardens and properties in the town.[8]
Heavy rainfall on 6 January led to floods across theEast Midlands, with the EA issuing almost 200 flood warnings.[9] A major incident was declared in response to the floods inLeicestershire andRutland;[10] this was followed by the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum (LRF), who coordinate emergency services in the county, also declaring a major incident inLincolnshire.[11]
North Yorkshire Police found the body of a man in floodwaters inBeal, North Yorkshire, and said they believe he entered the water within the previous two days.[12]Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said it had received over 200 calls and 59 people had been rescued from flooded areas;Leicestershire Police said it had also received a high number of calls and reported that the worst hit areas wereMelton Mowbray, Rutland and South Leicestershire. A rare severe flood warning, which indicates a danger to life, was issued for part of theRiver Soar inBarrow-upon-Soar: the EA said rising water levels at the Pilings Lock put properties at a nearby caravan park and marina at risk.[10] In Lincolnshire, 50 schoolchildren were rescued fromEdenham Primary School after all surrounding roads were flooded. The LRF said that a further 16 people had been rescued from flooded properties inBillingborough whilst 97 properties in the county suffered internal flooding.Lincolnshire Police said the south of the county was most impacted, whilst the LRF reported 16 major roads in the county were closed, including part of theA1 andA15.[11] Elsewhere in the country, part of theM5 motorway was closed following flooding nearGloucester and rail lines were blocked.[9]
On 13 June, thunderstorms led to heavy rainfall inKent which caused flash flooding in some areas.East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust advised patients to stay away fromBuckland Hospital after it was hit by flooding, whilst 21 people inDover were moved to temporary accommodation. InGuston, 120 students were evacuated from theDuke of York's Royal Military School after their dormitory was flooded.[13]
On 17 July, trials in six courtrooms at theOld Bailey were forced to move after floodwater started to pour down the walls, with one witness describing it as "like the Titanic" as water lapped in the corridors.[14] Heavy rainfall inCumbria on 19 July led to an animal shelter inWetheral flooding, forcing dozens of cats and dogs to be moved; a fundraising campaign had raised over £12,500 by the following day.[15]
On 20 July, some weather stations in Northern Ireland recorded their wettest July day on record amid an amber weather warning for rain. TheM12 motorway was closed after it partially flooded and a number of roads inEnniskillen were impassable due to floodwater. A number of properties were flooded and a rock climbing centre estimated damage would cost over £20,000. InKillowen, 69 mm (2.7 in) of rain fell in 12 hours, close to its monthly average of 80.7 mm (3.18 in).[16]
Rain in theEast of England led to floods on 21 July following weeks of prolonged sunshine and high temperatures. A number of schools were closed due to flooding and rail services were disrupted betweenNorwich andWymondham due to water on the tracks. Power outages were reported inLong Stratton and the area north ofAylsham, with villages includingAlby,Antingham andErpingham affected.[17] Flash floods also took place inNewport, Shropshire, where a number of businesses and homes were flooded.[18]
