PREPERATIONS are under way for further wet weather next week after homes were flooded following days of heavy rain caused by Storm Christoph, the Environment Secretary has said.

Care home residents were among those evacuated due to floods in Northwich yesterday.

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Storm Christoph is now set to give way to colder winter weather this weekend as rainfall begins to ease, according to the Met Office.

But Environment Secretary George Eustice said authorities are monitoring river levels in Yorkshire and preparing for more rain expected next week.

He said flooded properties are a “real tragedy” for anyone affected, with around 70 homes deluged in the recent adverse weather.

He told BBC Breakfast: “It is incredibly disruptive when people have their homes flooded, but around 26,000 homes have been protected from the various flood defence assets we have had in place.

“We have got 600 people on the ground putting up temporary barriers, using pumps in areas of Manchester where there were particular flood challenges.

“We are particularly monitoring the situation in Yorkshire as the water moves through those river systems and, of course, preparing as well for next week where later next week more rain is expected.”

He said around £2.5 billion has been spent on flood defences over the last five years.

At 9am on Friday morning, there were 160 flood warnings and 158 less serious flood alerts in place in England, seven flood warnings and 19 flood alerts in Wales, and four flood alerts in Scotland.

Emergency services are continuing to support communities in areas of Cheshire where residents have been evacuated, police said on Friday morning.

A spokesman for Cheshire Constabulary said there had been about 100 people evacuated in Warrington, 48 in Northwich – where residents of a care home had to be taken to safety by firefighters – and four in Farndon.

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Superintendent Julie Westgate said: “Whilst the heavy rain has stopped and flood waters are subsiding, a number of flood alerts and road closures remain in place and we are urging people to be aware of these and to only travel if it is absolutely essential.

“If you do need to go out, please take extra care and allow more time for this as there is a risk of surface water flooding and weather-related debris in places.”

Around 40 residents were assisted out of the Weaver Court care home in Northwich by fire crews with dinghies on Thursday afternoon, as most of the town centre laid under water.

Storm Christoph moving away to the east will make for colder conditions into the weekend, when temperatures could drop to minus 10C overnight in localised parts of Scotland, and as low as minus seven in parts of England.

Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: “It will be feeling cold, I think that certainly will be something we will all be noticing, it will be colder than it was to start the week.”