Chelmsford: Flood Warning Issued

24 December 2013, 16:37 | Updated: 26 December 2013, 19:27

Householders in parts of Chelmsford city centre have been warned that flooding is likely following two days of wet weather.

The Environment Agency said riverside properties in Chelmsford, including the cricket ground were likely to see flooding on Christmas Eve, as was Central Park and Admirals Park, the cricket ground and Court industrial estate.

Properties in Shrublands Close, Chaucer Road and Andrews Place could also be affected.

River levels are likely to continue to rise slowy and peak later this evening. Over the next 12 hours the forecast is for no significant rainfall.

Elsewhere, almost 2,000 homes across Essex started Christmas Eve without power. At 4pm on Christmas Eve, UK Power Networks said 1,256 homes in the county remained without power although engineers were hopeful of restoring the vast majority of supplies by tonight.

Across the East of England, UK Power Networks said it was working to reconnect more than 10,000 homes after high winds blew debris and trees onto overhead wires.

Essex County Council said it had received reports of 50 fallen trees and several fallen power cables.

The storm has led to disruption on the trains. Damage to overhead power lines has also forced cancellations on the line from Clacton to Walton-on-the-Naze.

Stansted Airport is running as normal but it is advising passengers to leave extra time to get to the terminal.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service says it received more than 90 calls to weather related incidents.

Up until midnight crews were called to incidents involving fallen trees, damage caused to building and flooding on the roads and people's homes.