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An amber weather warning has been issued for the Melton area and residents whose properties are at risk are flooding are being urged to 'be prepared'.
The warning comes in to force at 6am on Tuesday morning (19th January) and stays active until Thursday lunchtime.
Storm Christoph has been named by the Met Office and will bring in heavy rain which could cause disruption to travel and add to already high river levels.
Up to 70mm (2.75in) of rain is forecast to fall within 48 hours in the worst-hit areas from Tuesday.
Tuesday's amber weather warning covering the whole Melton and Rutland area. Photo: Met Office.
Chief Meteorologist Neil Armstrong, said: “A wide area of rainfall will move across central parts of the UK on Monday evening and bring heavy rain for the following 36-48 hours. The rain will be heaviest across western facing hills, in particular parts of the southern Pennines and northern Peak District where we could see up to 120mm over the course of the warning period with 40-70mm of rain widely across the whole Amber area."
A 'be prepared' flood warning is still in place for the River Wreake near Melton. River levels are falling but remain high at the Frisby river gauge as a result of recent rainfall. The risk of flooding remains. Areas most at risk are low-lying agricultural land and roads including Mill Lane and Water Lane at Frisby on the Wreake, Station Road at Thrussington, Broome Lane at Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Station Lane at Ashfordby, Frisby, farmlands at Hoby, Brooksby, Thrussington, Ratcliffe and Syston.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "We expect river levels to increase again into Tuesday, 19/01/21. Further significant rainfall is expected for the next days. We are closely monitoring the situation. Please avoid using low lying footpaths and bridges near local watercourses and plan driving routes to avoid low lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded."
A flood warning is also in place for the River Devon in Nottinghamshire. River levels are forecast to rise at the Colston Bassett river gauge in response. Flooding of roads and farmland is possible from Tuesday morning. Areas most at risk are low-lying agricultural land and roads by the River Smite. Church Gate and Bunnison Lane in Colston Bassett may be impassable. Areas around the River Devon could also be affected at Easthorpe, Bottesford, Belvoir Lane and the Woolsthorpe to Belvoir road in Woolsthorpe, Church Lane and Main Street in Muston. Flooding of properties is not forecast at this point. The Environment Agency are closely monitoring the situation.
Katharine Smith, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Much of the ground in parts of northern, central and eastern England is already saturated and the rainfall together with snowmelt is expected to bring significant river and surface water flooding and could cause damage to buildings in some communities.
"Flooding could continue to affect parts of central, eastern and northern England into Friday, with localised flooding of land and roads a possibility elsewhere across much of country on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground clearing grills, screens and closing flood barriers. We urge people to keep away from swollen rivers and not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.
“People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at via Gov.uk or follow @EnvAgency on Twitter for the latest flood updates.”
To view the latest flood warnings for your area please click here.
For guidance on how to prepare for flooding please click here.