travel somerset road closure gates

Live Somerset flood updates as A361 closed and warnings in place

Motorists have been urged to avoid floodwater

• Updated 17:43, 6 JAN 2024

A number of flood alerts and warnings remain in place across Somerset today (January 6). A section of the A361, which links Taunton to Glastonbury, is also currently closed due to flooding.

The Environment Agency has issued four flood warnings and five flood alerts for the county. It comes after periods of heavy rain from Storm Henk over the last few days.

Officials have urged people to avoid driving through floodwater. Somerset Council has also urged motorists to avoid the A361 - which is closed between East Lyng and Burrowbridge.

READ MORE: Famous landmark vanishes after stormy weather

We will keep you updated on all of the latest flood news from across Somerset in the blog below.

This is a live blog. Scroll down for updates.

• Key roads remain closed 17:43

Key roads remain closed

Due to deep flooding the following roads remain shut according to Somerset Council:

A361 (Burrowbridge to East Lyng)

• Cutts Road (East Lyng to Athelney)

Langport Road (Muchelney to Langport)

• New Road (West Lyng to North Curry)

Join us live as we reflect on the 2014 floods

Reporter Daniel Mumby is currently broadcasting live on our Facebook page, reflecting on the Somerset Levels floods of 2014 - ten years ago

Emergency road closure put in place

The A361 is closed across the Somerset Levels after flood water spilled onto the road late last night (January 5). Motorists are being urged to use alternative routes today.

According to Somerset Council, recent heavy rain has caused Currymoor, one of the largest flood storage reservoirs on the Somerset Levels and Moors to become full. This has resulted in excess water being conveyed down a spillway into the next storage reservoirs at Northmoor and Saltmoor, creating a flood risk to the A361.

Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Digital said: “Following 2014, emergency road closure gates were installed at eight locations, including between Burrowbridge and East Lyng on the A361, to prevent vehicles getting stuck in flood waters.

“Our teams will continue to monitor the situation and when it is safe to do so the road will be reopened. Please use an alternative route in the meantime.

“It’s vital that road users respect the gates and do not tamper with them. Just 30cm can float a car. Over the last few days our teams and the emergency services have seen a number of abandoned vehicles in flood water. Drivers open themselves up to the risk of being swept away and having to be rescued or getting stranded after their car engine takes in water and stops.”

Further services affected

SERVICE ALERT - 3 Due to flooding along the 3's route. Services to use Morris Lane Bus Stop until further notice. — First West of England (@FirstBSA) January 6, 2024

SERVICE ALERT - 19 Due to flooding in Swineforth. Services to divert via Keynsham in both directions. — First West of England (@FirstBSA) January 6, 2024

Bus services affected by flooding

SERVICE ALERT - 29 Road closure at Burrowbridge closed due to flooding. Diversion from Ashcott via Bridgwater resuming route at Creech St Michael. — First West of England (@FirstBSA) January 6, 2024

SERVICE ALERT - D1 Boreham Fields effected by flooding. Diversion from Station Rd, Fairfield Rd, Imber Rd, East St. Then Back to Market Place. — First West of England (@FirstBSA) January 6, 2024

Map shows warnings and alerts

A map from the Environment Agency shows the current flood warnings in red and the flood alerts in amber.

Flood alerts in place

There are also flood alerts in place across Somerset. These are less severe and warn people to "be prepared" as flooding is possible.

The alerts are in place at:

• West Somerset Streams

Lower Tone and Parrett Moors

Rivers Yeo and Parrett, downstream of Yeovil to Steart

East Somerset Rivers

South East Somerset Rivers, Upper Reaches

Flood warnings in place

The Environment Agency (EA) has issued four flood warnings in Somerset. They are at:

• Washford River, riverside properties from Kingsbridge to Lower Roadwater

Curry Moor and Hay Moor

A361 East Lyng to Burrowbridge

River Yeo and River Parrett Moors, low lying properties around Muchelney

Each warning urges people to "act now" as flooding is expected in the area.

The EA says: "Please do not attempt to drive or walk through flood water, and refer to @TravelSomerset for local road closures. This message will be updated by 4pm on 06/01/24, or as the situation changes."

A361 closed by flooding

‼️Urgent traffic update: A361 Taunton to Glastonbury road is closed between East Lyng and Burrowbridge due to flood water. Please plan ahead and avoid this route. The emergency road closure gate is closed. We'll keep you updated. pic.twitter.com/iW9584EDmk — Travel Somerset (@TravelSomerset) January 6, 2024

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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators shut down airport highways and key bridges in major US cities

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators shut down both directions of the Golden Gate Bridge Monday snarling traffic for hours.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers.

A passenger walks on the highway as he carries his luggage to at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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Pedestrians and bicyclists wait outside the pedestrian gate on the south side of the Golden Gate Bridge while the bridge is closed due to protesters on Monday, April 15, 2024 in San Francisco, Calif. (Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Heavy traffic is seen at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Protesters calling for a cease fire in Gaza shut down southbound traffic on Highway 880 in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, April 15, 2024. (Bronte Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

A passenger talks on the her phone as she walks to Terminal 1 at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travellers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Passengers walk to a security checkpoint at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Travellers wait for their ride at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Travellers wait for an airport shuttle bus at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

TravelLers walk to Terminal 1 at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelLers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Travelers wait for an airport shuttle bus at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Traffic is backed up at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Travelers wait for their ride at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Travelers walk through Terminal 1 at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Demonstrators protesting the ongoing war in Gaza, block southbound traffic on Interstate 880 in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, April 15, 2024. Traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area was also snarled for hours Monday morning as pro-Palestinian demonstrators shut down both directions of the Golden Gate Bridge and stalled a 17-mile (27-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 880 in Oakland. (Brontë Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

CHICAGO (AP) — Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked roadways in Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest on Monday, temporarily shutting down travel into some of the nation’s most heavily used airports, onto the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges and on a busy West Coast highway.

In Chicago, protesters linked arms and blocked lanes of Interstate 190 leading into O’Hare International Airport around 7 a.m. in a demonstration they said was part of a global “economic blockade to free Palestine,” according to Rifqa Falaneh, one of the organizers.

Traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area was snarled for hours as demonstrators shut down all vehicle, pedestrian and bike traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge and chained themselves to 55-gallon drums filled with cement across Interstate 880 in Oakland. Protesters marching into Brooklyn blocked Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. In Eugene, Oregon, protesters blocked Interstate 5, shutting down traffic on the major highway for about 45 minutes.

Protesters say they chose O’Hare in part because it is one of the largest airports. Among other things, they’ve called for an immediate cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Anti- war protesters have demonstrated in Chicago near daily since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people. Israeli warplanes and ground troops have since conducted a scorched-earth campaign on the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli offensive has killed more than 33,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.

O’Hare warned travelers on the social platform X to take alternative forms of transportation with car travel “substantially delayed this morning due to protest activity.”

Some travelers stuck in standstill traffic left their cars and walked the final leg to the airport along the freeway, trailing their luggage behind them.

Among them was Madeline Hannan from suburban Chicago. She was headed to O’Hare for a work trip to Florida when her and her husband’s car ended up stalled for 20 minutes. She got out and “both ran and speed walked” more than a mile (1.6 kilometers). She said she made it to the gate on time, but barely.

“This was an inconvenience,” she said in a telephone interview from Florida. “But in the grand scheme of things going on overseas, it’s a minor inconvenience.”

While individual travelers may have been affected, operations at the airport appeared near normal with delays of under 15 minutes, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.

Inbound traffic toward O’Hare resumed around 9 a.m.

Near Seattle, the Washington State Department of Transportation said a demonstration closed the main road to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Social media posts showed people holding a banner and waving Palestinian flags while standing on the highway, which reopened about three hours later.

About 20 protesters were arrested at the Golden Gate Bridge demonstration and traffic resumed shortly after noon, according to the California Highway Patrol. The agency said officers were making arrests at two points on the interstate, including one spot where roughly 300 protesters refused orders to disperse,

“Attempting to block or shut down a freeway or state highway to protest is unlawful, dangerous, and prevents motorists from safely reaching their destinations,” the agency said in a statement.

Oregon State Police said 52 protestors were were arrested for disorderly conduct following the Interstate 5 protest in Eugene, Oregon, about 110 miles (177 kilometers) south of Portland. Six vehicles were towed from the scene.

New York Police made numerous arrests, saying 150 protesters were initially involved in the march around 3:15 p.m., but that number quickly grew. The bridge was fully reopened by 5 p.m.

In Chicago, dozens of protesters were arrested, according to Falaneh. Chicago police said Monday that “multiple people” were taken into custody after a protest where people obstructed traffic, but they did not have a detailed count.

Associated Press writers Janie Har in San Francisco, Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon; Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford, Connecticut and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.

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During flooding

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Related pages

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School closures

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• Roadworks and travel information
• Roads, travel and parking
• Preparing for flooding
• After flooding

Other information

• Somerset Prepared
• GOV.UK - What to do in a flood
• Flood Online Reporting tool - share details for planning purposes

Latest advice and guidance

If your home is about to be flooded If your area has a flood warning (when flooding is expected) or severe flood warning (when there is a danger to life) or you can see the water approaching your property:

• Turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies, if it’s safe to do so – do not touch an electrical switch if you are standing in water.
• Move your family, vehicles, pets and important items to safety, for example upstairs or to higher ground.
• If you have them, use flood protection products, for example flood barriers or air brick covers.
• Check on vulnerable neighbours.
• If you need help and support, contact neighbours or nearby family and friends in the first instance. If your community has them, contact the local Flood Wardens or your Town or Parish Council emergency team.

To report flooding on a road or blocked drains on a road use our report a problem on a road form

For advice and information about preparing for or recovering from flooding , please see the links below. Preparing for flooding After flooding

If your property is owned by us and has been affected by flooding, please visit our Housing repairs page or you can phone us on 0300 123 2224.

Useful contacts and guidance

• Find details of who to contact on our emergency contacts page
• For help pumping out water from your property, please contact the Fire Service.
• For advice on how to deal with flooding please phone Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or visit Somerset Prepared
• For details of flood warnings , please visit the Environment Agency’s website .
• Report flooding on a road, a blocked drain or mud on the road using our report a problem on a road form
• For information on emergency road closures , please visit Emergency road closure gates .
• For up-to-date information about adverse weather conditions affecting roads in Somerset , please visit our Roads, travel and parking section .
• Find Health advice from Public Health England
• For weather information , please visit the Met Office website .
• Find out what the flood warnings mean and what to do in a flood on GOV.UK

Property affected by flooding

We are not responsible for preventing flooding to private property. It is the owner’s responsibility to do this unless the situation is the result of something we have unreasonably done or not done.

If your property is owned by us and has been affected by flooding, please visit our Housing repairs page or you can phone us on 0300 123 2224 .

You may find this Household Emergency Checklist and Emergency Plan useful to help you safely evacuate your property.

Temporary Accommodation

If you are made homeless as a result of flooding to a private property you should contact your insurance provider for support.

If you are made homeless as a result of flooding and your property is not insured or your property is owned by us, you should speak with our Housing teams on 0300 123 2224 .

You can find more information on Emergency and temporary accommodation here .

If you are concerned that your property could flood, please follow the advice on our Flood prevention page .

If you need help pumping water out of your property, please contact the Fire Brigade. You should also contact your insurance company as soon as possible to make them aware of the damage to your property. You can find information about insurance on our After flooding page .

Roads by affected by flooding

We are responsible for keeping roads and pavements free of flooding that might cause a hazard or an obstruction to road users. We have a duty to keep the road network free from obstruction and safe for all to use.

You can report a problem on the road affected by flooding, including blocked drains, fallen trees, debris, hazards or mud on the road by visiting our Report a problem on the road page.

For up-to-date information about adverse weather affecting roads in Somerset , visit our Roadworks and travel information .

Find information on  emergency road closure gates here .

Information about flooded roads and highways maintenance

Highway gullies are cleared on an annual cycle or more frequently where appropriate. If there is a likelihood of property being flooded and water on the highway being a hazard, please report it to us.

Burst pipes, sewers and water mains

If the flooding is due to a burst pipe , you should contact your water supplier (the company to whom you pay your water rates). Property owners are responsible for preventing flooding to their properties. You can find out more on our drains and sewers page .

If your property is flooded with sewage internally or externally contact Wessex Water Sewage Floodline on  0345 850 5959  (24 hours)

If a flooded road is caused by a ruptured water main , the water company will be responsible for repairing the damage.

Bristol Water Leakline – 0800 801011 Wessex Water Leakstoppers – 0800 692 0 692

Flood water is contaminated with sewage and other sources of bacteria and chemicals. It is essential that you take precautions to protect yourself such as washing your hands if you come into direct contact with flood water or items that have been in floodwater. And make sure you clean your property effectively if you have been flooded. You can find more information on our After flooding page

You can find information about insurance on our After flooding page .

Find details of public, school and care transport which has been affected by flooding in our Transport section .

When schools close you can find a list of schools which have let us know they are closed, or have restricted opening here .

Care and support needs

If you or a member of your household are vulnerable and in receipt of care and support from us, we will continue to support you in the best way we can.

Help may also be available from our community support Village Agents for anyone requiring care support in the event of flooding. You can contact them on 01823 331222.

Waste collections

There may be localised disruption to collections due to flooding. You can  find details of waste collections that have been missed because of flooding and what you should do if this has affected you.

If you need large items damaged by flooding to be collected from your property you can find out about Bulky Waste collections here .

Car parks, public parks and spaces

Phone us to report flooding in a Somerset Council owned car park or notify us of a hazard as a result of flooding on 0300 123 2224 .

This is a service provided by the  Environment Agency , giving useful information on purchasing flood protection equipment as well as up-to-date flood warnings and advice. You can also request copies of their information booklets – Preparing for a Flood, During a Flood and After a Flood.

You can phone Floodline on 0345 988 1188

General advice

Driving advice.

• Do not drive through deep water. Cars can stall and be washed away
• Drive at speeds appropriate to the weather conditions, and remember that surface water can cause aquaplaning
• If you are travelling a long distance, make sure you have clothing, blankets, food and drink in the car in case you are caught up in long delays

Other advice

• Do not enter moving water. Moving water 18 inches or 45 centimetres deep can knock an adult over.
• Be aware of the location of drain and manhole covers. Water pressure can lift them out of place leaving a hidden danger.
• All flood water is potentially contaminated. Do not allow children to play in it and make sure you wash yourself thoroughly if you have been in contact with flood water.
• Make sure, where possible, that drains and screens are clear of debris to allow water to flow away freely.
• Do not approach any power cables that have been brought down by the weather. They could be live and therefore dangerous.
• Check that pets and livestock kept outside can move freely and escape rising water.
• If you are travelling in remote areas, make sure family or friends know when you are leaving and your expected arrival time.
• Make sure mobile phones are fully charged – emergency calls are free even if you have no credit.
• Check to make sure elderly or vulnerable neighbours are safe.
• Do not put yourself at risk.

You can find more advice on before, during and after flooding on the Somerset Prepared website.

Last reviewed: March 7, 2024 by Jenny

Next review due: September 7, 2024