Pikers urged to take care with traces

Pike anglers are being urged not to leave traces where they could harm dogs and other animals at the waterside.

It comes after a dog had to be anaesthetised to remove a baited rig it picked up at Beccles Quay, on Suffolk's River Waveney.

To be fair, it's not clear from local newspaper reports whether the trace was being used by an angler or a nightline had been left in the water.

More here.

Anxious wait for Broads pike anglers

Pike anglers across East Anglia are bracing themselves for the worst as they wait for the scale of damage salt tides have done to the rivers Yare and Waveney to become clear.

Hundreds of families were evacuated from their homes as a North Sea storm surge sparked flood warnings around the East Coast.

While most parts of the region escaped disaster by inches - as the highest tides for 50 years lashed the coastline - the surge had forced salt water far inland by Friday lunchtime.

The RSPB said "large numbers" of fish had died as saltwater inundated its Strumpshaw Fen reserve, of the Yare between Rockland Broad and Brundall.

The damage is likely to become clear over the weekend, as anglers return to the Yare, Rockland, the Waveney and Oulton Broad.

Broads braced for storm tide floods

Severe flood warnings were in place across the Broads last night as a combination of strong north-westerly winds, low air pressure and high tides triggered a 10ft storm surge in the North Sea.

The Yare and Waveney, along with their broads, were expected to bear the brunt of flooding, with this morning's high tides sending salt water upstream.

Flood watches were also in place along the Thurne system, whose northern broads are among the most at risk from the sea, with budget cuts meaning maintenance of coastal defences is being scaled back.

The Environment Agency said there were "extreme risks to life and property" from Great Yarmouth to Lowestoft and along the coasts of Essex and Kent.

Thousands were being evacuated from their homes along the Suffolk coast, with many spending the night at leisure centres in Lowestoft and Leiston, and Beccles Town Hall.

Experts said improved sea defences, weather forecasting and communications would avert a repeat of the 1953 floods, where hundreds died in what was dubbed Britain's worst natural disaster.

But thousands of low-lying homes were feared to be at risk, as emergency services across eastern England prepared to deal with the aftermath.

Chilling scenario - see graphics and commentary on the BBC website.

Severe flood warnings on Waveney, Yare

The Environment Agency has tonight issued a severe flood warning on the tidal Waveney below Ellingham and the Yare below Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, as the East Coast prepared itself fo the worst floods in more than half a century.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown is chairing a meeting of the Government's COBRA emergency committee as the Environment Agency warned of "extreme danger to life and property" in parts of Norfolk and Suffolk, while part of Kent, East Yorkshire and :incolnshire are also under flood alert.

Earlier, Environment Minister Hilary Benn told MPs: "A tidal surge of up to 3m [10ft] is making its way down the North Sea which could coincide with peak high tides.

"There is a risk of flood defences being over-topped on the coast and in tidal rivers, especially in East Anglia, particularly the Norfolk Broads and the coast south of Great Yarmouth including Lowestoft, and areas south of this as far as the coast of Kent."

Experts said the surge was almost as high as the one which caused the 1953 floods in which more than 300 people died.

It is caused by a combination of north-westerly gales, low air pressure and high tides. Homes are being evacuated tonight in areas which are expected to be worst-hit.

High tide is expected around 7am in Norfolk.

Broadland flood warnings - 5pm update

Pike anglers fishing the tidal rivers and broads of Norfolk and Suffolk are being urged to take extreme care on Friday and over the weekend, after the Environment Agency issued Severe Flood Warnings for much of the East Coast.

High winds and a low pressure system are expected to create a tidal surge which could see localised flooding from Wells-next-Sea in North Norfolk to Essex and the Thames Estuary.

The most severe flooding is expected around Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and parts of the Broads.

If the forecast surge materialises, rivers could rise higher than normal on Friday's flood tide - which is expected to peak around 7 - 8am. As the tide turns and ebbs later in the morning, rivers could be subject to heavier flows than normal.

Flood watch warnings are tonight in place on the rivers Yare, Waveney, Ant, Bure and Thurne, along with parts of the Fens including the tidal Ouse.

The Environment Agency said the expected storm surge building in the North Sea was just 30cm (around a foot...) lower than that which caused the floods of 1953 - Britain's greatest natural disaster, which killed more than 300.

EA Flood Watch

BBC report

1953 floods - special report

Flood warnings for Broadland rivers

The Environment Agency is today issuing warnings for East Anglia's tidal rivers including the Bure, Ant, Thurne, Yare and Waveney.

Officials are expecting high tides and localised flooding tomorrow morning (Friday, November 9) on areas such as Brundall riverside, downstream from Norwich.

Warnings in place are currently Flood Watch - the lowest category. To monitor the situation, click here to see the current status.

Anglers warned over crayfish plague

Anglers fishing the River Waveney and Oulton Broad are being urged to ensure boats and tackle are dried out afterwards so they don't help a deadly crayfish disease to spread.
Thousands of dead Turkish crays have been seen in the river and broad over the weekend.
Environment Agency spokesman Amanda Elliott said tests had confirmed an outbreak of Aphanomyces astaci, commonly known as crayfish plague.
Measures are now being put in place to try to prevent any spread, particularly to rivers populated by the British white-clawed crayfish, such as the upper Waveney and the nearby Yare and Wensum.
Ms Elliott said: ``The affected animals are Turkish crayfish. What we most concerned about is preventing the disease spreading to another river system.
``Luckily, there are no British white-clawed crayfish recorded in the River Waveney.''