Fiskerton residents told to stay away due to risk of river breach

Residents in a Lincolnshire village have been told to "remain vigilant" due to concerns about flooding.

More than 70 homes in Fiskerton are at risk after damage was found along a 30m (98.4ft) section of the River Witham, the Environment Agency said.

Residents were advised to leave on Wednesday and have now been told to stay away until the situation improves.

Across Lincolnshire more than 150 properties have been flooded by heavy rain brought by Storm Babet.

Leigh Edlin, the Environment Agency's Lincolnshire area director, said while river levels were now peaking in many areas, concerns remained in Fiskerton due to risk of the bank collapsing.

"We've had drone footage taken over the last 24 hours... and are looking at options to mitigate any impact should the situation worsen," he said.

Mr Edlin said engineers had discovered the bank had a clay core, which he described as "good news".

"It is still holding the river water in," he said.

However, he added: "We can't take any risks with that - it's important the local community remains vigilant."

According to Lincolnshire County Council, 21 residents were either staying in hotels, or with relatives, while nine others were receiving additional support.

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