Louth hit by flash flooding after heavy rain
Parts of Lincolnshire have been hit by flash flooding after heavy rain with warnings still in place.
Louth, south of Grimsby, was the worst affected with several homes temporarily evacuated but other areas were also hit, including Friskney near Skegness. The Environment Agency has a flood alert in place for properties near the Louth Canal. The heavy rainfall also affected the planned Lancaster bomber flypast in Lincoln. About 2in (5cm) of rain fell in an hour, leading to flash flooding threatening homes while some roads in the town and surrounding villages became impassable when drains failed to cope with the volume of water. Witnesses said the water reached 2ft deep in places with some residents saying it was the worst they had ever seen. Angela Appleby, who lives in Eastgate in the town, said: "[The water] came right up to the door, about 2ft deep, maybe more. It was absolutely torrential. Then there was a suspected gas leak and we were evacuated for about two hours." The water was so deep Ms Appleby's car came close to filling with water but sandbags provided by East Lindsey District Council helped minimise damage. Mark Robinson, coastal advisor at the agency, said: "It seems to be water that's landing on to hard surfaces not being able to get down the drains and into the main river that's causing localised flooding." Lincolnshire Police warned people to avoid flooded areas and went door-to-door collecting phone numbers for any fresh warnings. Michael Kheng, who owns bars in the area, said the A157 roundabout near Louth was "a nightmare" because of the flooding. "People have not been wanting to drive their cars through the water in the fear of getting stuck, so there's traffic backing up on all four entry roads onto the roundabout," he said. The Environment Agency's initial severe flood warning was downgraded to a yellow flood alert later on Friday afternoon.