High Spring Tides forecast – warning issued for parts of Westover

As the waters rose through the manholes extra sandbags are brought out in front of the Fountain pub.
Bridgwater’s West Quay – sandbags remain in place.

High spring tides are predicted between Saturday 1 and Tuesday 4 March. The highest is likely to be about 8am on Monday. The levels are similar to those predicted for the high tides in early January and early February. The impact of the January / February tides was increased by a tidal surge caused by the weather conditions at the time (low pressure and strong winds). The strong winds also caused large waves in exposed places.

As long as there is no tidal surge and no significant waves, the levels next week are not expected to cause any flooding issues on the Wessex North coast. It is therefore really important to review the tides and the weather forecast to make sure we can predict what the impact might be. The EA is working closely with the Met Office to get the latest information.

As a precaution, temporary defences are in place where flooding occurred on the previous high tides. This includes Blake Gardens in Bridgwater, and sandbagging along the lowest spots of the River Parrett, near Burrowbridge.