Hundreds of residents were being advised to leave their homes tonight after the Environment Agency issued a severe flood warning along the Suffolk coast.
Hundreds of residents were being advised to leave their homes tonight after the Environment Agency issued a severe flood warning along the Suffolk coast.
Experts predict the tide at Lowestoft to peak at 2.8metres at 8.45am tomorrow morning - the highest since the 1953 east coast floods.
In a special briefing tonight, Suffolk County Council said at least 1,300 homes along the coast from Hopton in Norfolk to Shingle Street, near Woodbridge - including Lowestoft, Southwold and Aldeburgh - were at risk of flooding.
It warned any residents living next to water in the affected areas to evacuate their homes and seek shelter with friends or relatives.
The council also announced a series of school closures and rest areas where residents could seek shelter.
David Kemp, flood incident management team leader of the Environment Agency, said: “We are very concerned about this otherwise we would not be putting so many people to such inconvenience if we were not taking the risk of this extremely seriously.
“Certainly these are the largest figures I have ever seen.
“We have an enormous reservoir in the North Sea. If it's up to a high level, it just keeps pouring in.”
Residents living in the affected areas were tonight urged to keep abreast of the latest developments through the media.
The Environment Agency hopes to reveal a list of postcode areas at risk later this evening. Further updates will be available at www.EDP24.co.uk throughout the evening.
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