Flooding is now at 2000/01 levels in the division.

Following the update on Friday, we now have the forecast for the rest of the week which indicates that more heavy rain is likely from tonight, we are expecting up to 100 mm or 4 inches in some places by the weekend – accompanied by strong winds, especially tomorrow which could be up to 60mph inland and up to 70mph on the coast. Some coastal flooding may also take place with the strong wind and tide heights.

The level of rain forecast will swell rivers further and the groundwater level is now extremely high and still rising, with streams and ditches full and water lying in fields in many area there is simply nowhere for the water to get away. We are expecting significant further local flooding, which will affect many parts of the County and disruption to travel and local communities is inevitable. The situation is now becoming comparable with the last major ground flooding in Hampshire around 2000. Our priority is to manage the transport and Highways situation as best we can and keep main roads clear of fallen trees and surface water as far as possible. We will only put road closures in place as a last resort, but where safety concerns dictate, we may have to implement emergency closures. We have already had to take action to close some local roads due to flooding, most notably in Hambledon. We are asking all travellers to take extra care on the roads – especially in areas where there is flood water. It can be difficult to judge the depth of water, especially in the dark, and floodwater can be quite fast flowing and deep in places, which can pose a significant safety hazard, and extreme caution is required when considering entering flooded areas. Some drivers are unfortunately not driving as considerately as they might when going through surface water, especially when passing pedestrians, cyclists or horse riders.

We have been dealing with hundreds of sites across Hampshire which have been flooded, many in the Winchester, Basingstoke, Test Valley, East Hampshire and New Forest areas but also in Titchfield, Wallington, Alverstoke, Barton Stacey, Eastleigh , Eversley, Yately, Church Crookham, Fleet and Southwood in Rushmoor to name just some examples. So far, we have deployed around 20,000 sandbags across the County to protect the highway, and have had extra highways crews, gully emptiers and aboriculture teams working round the clock. We’re doing everything we can, but some travel disruption is now inevitable given the amount of rain forecast for the rest of the week. While we will try our best to assist, it is important to note that in some cases there will be nothing we can do to relieve flooding, and in other cases we will have no option but to close the road. A few weeks without any more rain would be extremely helpful, but I regret that the long range weather forecast does not currently give us much hope on that score !

People can report road problems online and tune in to BBC Radio Solent and other local radio stations for traffic reports. Advice on driving in winter conditions.

Advice on flooding can be found at www.hants.gov.uk/flooding and flood warnings can be found on the Environment Agency website.

Follow @Hantsconnect on Twitter for information on road salting, and check the online map to see which roads are which priority routes.

Because properties are now threatened, I have asked for the Springvale Road in Kings Worthy to be closed to all traffic except for access- and hope to sort this out, confirming this tomorrow.