Northumbria: Latest on the floods

September 25, 2012, 10:26 am

10:30am update

The situation around the weather conditions and traffic issues continue to change.

The river in Morpeth broke its banks and the town centre area is flooding. We have extra officers in the area to help residents. Anyone who is affected is asked to go to the town hall where a rest centre has been set up.

Around 90 residents from the Dawson Place area of Morpeth have been evacuated as a precaution – police are working with the local authority and they are being taken to the Town Hall and King Edward High School – which are being used as temporary rest centres.

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Around 30 to 40 residents from the Spencer Court, Hareside Court, Hareside Walk and Mill Vale areas of Newburn have also been evacuated. They have been taken to Newburn First school.

The road in Mill Lane, Newburn, has collapsed and an area is cordened off.

On the A690 westbound, outside of Reg Vardy, just off the A19 – the road has collapsed and is likely to remain closed for some time.

The force continues to work with local authorities across the force and partner agencies and monitoring local rivers and areas at risk.

Supt Dave Byrne said: “We are continuing to get a lot of calls – we will respond to all of them – only use the 999 service in an emergency situation and please be patient, we have a lot of officers out on the ground helping keep people safe.”

Metro and rail services are still running – with delays and a slower service.

Other road closures are:

A1 Northbound – between the coal house roundabout and Lobley Hill
A19 Northbound of Testos is open, Southbound is closed
A189 Findus roundabout, West Moor, in all directions
Scotswood Road – near to Benfield motors
A1058 Coast Road by Wills Building. Both directions closed.
A1 northbound at Swarland closed
A68 Kiln Pit Hill
A1 Tritlington – North bound
Central Motorway towards Tyne Bridge
Claremont Road
Callerton Park Lane

A number of minor roads across the force area are affected – the situation is constantly changing.

Update from North East Ambulance Service:

Weather hits Patient Transport Service

Dialysis, oncology and neurology appointments unaffected

Due to the heavy rain in the North East, our Patient Transport Service sadly won’t be able to collect all non-urgent outpatients for their appointments today.

However, all dialysis, oncology and neurology pick-ups will go ahead as scheduled.

We’re sorry for any disruption this may cause.

9.35am update

Northumbria Police continues to ask people to take extreme care due to the severe weather conditions in the region.

Advice is still not to travel on the roads unless necessary and anyone stuck in flooding in their car is asked to try and stay with their vehicle where possible.

Chief Inspector Sarah Pitt said: “This remains a rapidly changing situation and we continue to work with local authorities across the force and partner agencies and monitoring local rivers and areas at risk.

“The force is receiving a lot of calls – we will respond to all of them – only use the 999 service in an emergency situation and please be patient, we have a lot of officers out on the ground helping keep people safe.”

Residents from the Dawson Place area of Morpeth have been evacuated as a precaution – police are working with the local authority and they are being taken to the Town Hall and King Edward High School – which are being used as temparory rest centres.

Residents from the Spencer Court, Hareside Court, Hareside Walk and Mill Vale areas of Newburn have also been evacuated. They have been taken to Newburn First school.

Estimates are around 90 people evacuated in the Morpeth area and 30 from Newburn.

The latest road closures:

A1 Northbound – between the coal house roundabout and Lobley Hill
A19 Northbound of Testos is open, Southbound is closed
A189 Findus roundabout, West Moor, in all directions
Scotswood Road – near to Benfield motors
A1058 Coast Road East bound – all three lanes
A1 northbound at Swarland closed
A68 Kiln Pit Hill
A1 Tritlington – North bound
Central Motorway towards Tyne tunnel
Claremont Road
Callerton Park Lane

A number of minor roads across the force area are affected – the situation is constantly changing.

Roads now open are:
A19 Northbound – Between the A1231 and Testo roundabout
A19 Northbound between Testos and the Boldon slip

8am Update

Northumbria Police is urging people to take extreme care due to the severe weather conditions in the region.

Latest advice is not to travel on the roads unless necessary  – there has been a number of collisions on the roads due to people driving too fast, aquaplaning and not driving according to conditions.

Anyone stuck in flooding in their car is asked to try and stay with their vehicle where possible.

Chief Inspector Sarah Pitt said: “We are getting a number of calls about road closures and localised flooding – the situation is changing all the time.

“We are working with local authorities across the force and partner agencies and monitoring local rivers and areas at risk.

“The force is receiving a lot of calls – we will respond to all of them – only use the 999 service in an emergency situation and please be patient, we have a lot of officers out on the ground helping keep people safe.”

Residents in the Dawson Place area of Morpeth are being evacuated as a precaution – police are working with the local authority and they are being taken to the Town Hall and King Edward High School – which are being used as temparory rest centres.

Residents from the Spencer Court, Hareside Court, Hareside Walk and Mill Vale areas of Newburn have also been evacuated. They are being taken to Newburn First school.

Local rail and Metro networks are still running – slower services than normal but they are running.

The latest road closures:
A1 Northbound – between the coal house roundabout and Lobley Hill
A189 Findus roundabout, West Moor, in all directions
Scotswood Road – near to Benfield motors
A1058 Coast Road East bound – all three lanes closed under railway bridge
A1 northbound at Swarland closed
A number of minor roads across the force area are affected – the situation is constantly changing.

Roads now open are:
A19 Northbound – Between the A1231 and Testo roundabout
A19 Northbound between Testos and the Boldon slip

6:30am update

Police are issuing advice in relation after heavy rain has hit the region.

The force area has seen heavy showers yesterday and overnight and this caused localised flooding in some areas and problems for some local rivers.

Officers are advising the public to monitor local media and agency websites for up to date news and information as the situation is changing all of the time.

We are receiving lots of information about roads affected by rain and flooding and motorists are being advised to take care on roads, drive safely and watch out for standing water.

Officers are out across the region helping motorists and local residents in some of the most affected areas.

Northumbria Police Chief Inspector Sarah Pitt said: “Acting on the information from our partners we are getting extra officers out to the areas that are most affected to offer reassurance and support for local people.

“We continue to advise residents that might experience flooding to get advice from the relevant agencies and to be as prepared as possible.

“Anyone caught out by the rain and on the roads should stay calm and avoid any flooded roads and areas where possible.

“Allow extra time for any journeys and drive according to the conditions where you are. Reduce speed, keep your distances and make sure you are visible to other road users by having your lights and fog lights on. Be alert for heavy accumulations of water and slow down going through them.”

Roads affected as of 6:30am – this is changing constantly and we are receiving updates all the time

A1 Northbound – between the coal house roundabout and Lobley Hill
A19 Northbound – Between the A1231 and Testo roundabout
A19 Northbound between Testos and the Boldon slip
A189 Findus roundabout, West Moor, in all directions
Scotswood Road – near to Benfield motors
A1058 Coast Road East bound – all three lanes closed under railway bridge

A number of minor roads are also affected. Diversions have been put in place where possible.

We have extra officers out on patrol in these areas and other areas where problems are expected.

We are working in partnership with local authorities across the whole of the Northumbria area to try and clear roads and ensure the road network stays open as much as possible.

Anyone choosing to drive in the weather is advised to take extra care and avoid the areas where surface water is an issue.

The latest update we have from Nexus as of 6:30am is that the Metros are still running but at a slower speed than usual.