“Pump deployment”: Somerset Levels and Moors briefing 26 January 2026

26th January 2026
SRA

This is a briefing prepared on Monday 26 January 2026 by local Environment Agency officers.

In summary, January in Somerset has been very wet, rivers across the county have responded rapidly, and water has moved down the catchments into the Levels and Moors. Anticipating trigger points being met, the Environment Agency initiated the deployment of pumps for Currymoor, Saltmoor and Northmoor (as pictured at the top of this page and below).

Pump moving in anticipation of trigger points being on the Somerset Levels and Moors.

The Environment Agency, Somerset Council and Somerset Rivers Authority urge anybody who is affected by flooding to report this on the Flood Online Reporting Tool because it helps with planning – and, crucially, getting funding for – flood risk reduction measures.

The Environment Agency is a partner in Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA), along with Somerset Council, the Parrett and Axe Brue Internal Drainage Boards, Natural England, the Wessex Regional Flood and Coastal Committee and Wessex Water.

Overview

January has seen persistent wet weather in Somerset, with an average of 16-25mm rainfall per day over the past week. This has resulted in a very high weekly accumulation of rainfall in this area. Rivers across Somerset have responded rapidly, and water has moved down the catchments into the Levels and Moors.

Before the weekend, we [= the Environment Agency] anticipated trigger points being met for the deployment of additional temporary pumps in some areas, and we initiated pump deployment for Currymoor, Saltmoor and Northmoor. We have staff on the ground co-ordinating the installation of these pumps to enhance our pumping capacity.

In Somerset, four flood warnings are in force:

There are also a large number of flood alerts.

The Met Office have issued an Amber Weather Warning covering South Somerset which comes into force today. With more rainfall forecast over the coming days, we anticipate further Flood Warnings and Alerts to be issued.

We are continuing to monitor the situation very closely and staff are out on the ground. The incident room in Bridgwater is open, and staff are on duty 24 hours a day. We have met with our Somerset partners today, including Somerset Council and emergency services, and we are working closely together to plan and respond as needed.

Please avoid the pumping stations during this time to allow our staff to operate in a timely and safe manner.

Refer to Travel Somerset for the latest road closure information.

Parrett – Tone Catchment

The catchment has already received 165% of long-term average January rainfall totals up to 25 January, with more rain expected tonight and in the coming week. River levels on the Parrett, Yeo, Isle and Tone are all very high. We cannot currently run any pumps upstream of Burrowbridge because the river cannot hold any more water. Our pumping stations can only operate when there is capacity in the river to receive the floodwater. We will operate pumps as soon as river levels allow.

With spillways running across the area, the moors upstream of Langport have been filling steadily, and with rivers expected to respond to tonight’s rainfall, water levels on the moors will continue to rise.

Downstream of Burrowbridge, Currymoor filled up extremely quickly – in less than 4 days – and Athelney Spillway has been running since Sunday (25 January). Somerset Council have closed the A361. With river levels remaining high, we expect Athelney spillway to continue to run over the coming days, with water moving across the A361 into Saltmoor.

All the station pumps in Saltmoor and Northmoor are running at full capacity, discharging water into the River Parrett. The Parrett Flood Relief channel (Sowy) is running at full capacity with the water that is overtopping into it through Allermoor and Beazley’s spillways. Monksleaze Clyce will remain closed until there is capacity in the Sowy to open it.

Additional pump deployment has been triggered at Saltmoor, Northmoor and Currymoor, and we have all available staff working to complete this operation as quickly as possible. We have acted early, and these pumps will be operational if needed, when water levels on Saltmoor and Northmoor are high enough.

The pump deployment requires a significant amount of equipment, logistical co-ordination, and work on the ground. The crane needed at Northmoor to install the submersible pumps in Northmoor Main Drain has arrived on site today and has already put one of the pumps in place (Monday 26 January). There have been significant improvements made to Northmoor pumping station over the past year to make the installation of additional pumps quicker and more efficient.

Extra pumps are also being deployed to Saltmoor this week and to Currymoor, which will enable us to evacuate water quickly once river levels in this area drop.

We may need to put in brief road closures, or stop traffic for periods of time, in order to deploy pumps at Northmoor and Saltmoor – traffic management staff will be in place to keep disruption to the public at a minimum. The normal short diversion at Northmoor will be put into place.

Once installed, these temporary pumps will be left in place for the remainder of the winter.

Axe – Brue Catchment

Water levels are high but steady across the catchment, and our pumping stations are running whenever possible, but they can only operate when there is capacity in the river to receive the floodwater. Tides are favourable this week which aids the pumping process. We are currently operating the Brue flood relief channel (Cripps River) to help bring river levels down sooner.

Pumping operations have brought water down to normal winter levels multiple times during the winter, but the ground remains saturated, and water on low lying fields takes time to work through the network of rhynes and watercourses to the pumping stations.

Community Support

We have had staff out at Moorland Village Hall today to answer questions. Keep an eye on our social media channels for further updates.

We would encourage residents to make sure they are signed up to flood warnings, and to check our flood warning messages for up-to-date information, either online or by calling Floodline on 0345 9881188. For households at risk, we would encourage residents to enact their flood plan and move or make plans to move furniture, pets and vehicles to safety if needed.

For emergency reporting of property flooding, call Somerset Council for flooding from smaller watercourses or the highway on 0300 123 2224 or the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 for flooding from main rivers. For non-emergency reporting, you can use the Flood Online Reporting Tool. This information is crucial not only for incident response, but for long term planning of flood risk reduction measures.

We know that as well as the economic and physical impacts, flooding can have a serious effect on wellbeing. Please see the links at the end for information about recovery from flooding.

In all areas of the Somerset Levels and Moors, landowners can help speed the evacuation of water by ensuring their rhynes, culverts and ditches are clear of obstructions. For more information on riparian rights and responsibilities see Owning a Watercourse.

Significant investment has been made in recent years across the Somerset Levels and Moors to reduce flood risk. Reservoir improvements, water injection dredging, and improvements to the Parrett flood relief channel are some of the key projects delivered by flood risk management authorities. We’ve reviewed our trigger point plans to ensure they were fit for purpose and made big improvements to Northmoor Pumping station so that we can set up temporary pumps quicker and safer.

Outlook

Storm Chandra is likely to bring in further heavy rainfall tonight, Monday 26, and Tuesday 27 January. With the ground already saturated, we are likely to see the rivers and watercourses respond very quickly to rainfall.

The Met Office have issued an Amber flood warning for rainfall that covers South Somerset.

The weather forecast continues to be unsettled for the rest of the week.

We are monitoring the situation closely and our teams are on duty 24/7 to respond to the changing situation.

Flooding advice and information

What to do to prepare for flooding

Call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 for updates on flooding, to sign up for flood warnings, or to report flooding.

Go to www.gov.uk/prepare-for-flooding or search ‘know my flood risk’ to sign up for Environment Agency flood warnings, receive information on the risk in your area and what to do in a flood.

on Facebook at www.facebook.com/environmentagencyssw
or on X (formerly Twitter) at www.x.com/EnvAgencySW

Or visit:  www.somersetriversauthority.org.uk

What to do during a flood

Stay up-to-date on weather information and warnings: https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/plan-ahead-for-flooding

Report current flooding to the Environment Agency Incident Hotline 0800 80 70 60 (main rivers or sea), Somerset Council 0300 123 2224 (ordinary watercourses) or Wessex Water (sewers) 0345 600 4600

Get information on what to do during a flood from:

www.gov.uk/help-during-flood

Somerset Prepared

www.somersetriversauthority.org.uk/useful-info

Call 999 if there is a risk to life

Remember: Always stay safe. In an immediate flood emergency or where there is a risk to life, follow the advice of the emergency services.

Recovery from Flooding

For information on recovering from flooding, see:

How to recover from flooding – GOV.UK

or https://floodmary.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/homeowners-guide-to-flood-recovery.pdf

Somerset Council may be able to support with housing and welfare issues: https://www.somerset.gov.uk/beaches-ports-and-flooding/flooding-information-and-advice/

Submit a detailed property flooding report at FORT – Home

Flooding is very distressing, and it is common for people’s emotional health to be impacted. Somerset Talking Therapies may be able to offer help: https://www.somersetft.nhs.uk/somerset-talking-therapies/

For all enquiries, or if you would like to be added to the distribution list for Somerset Levels and Moors updates, please email WessexEnquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk