A new service which allows people to get forecasts for river levels to help them plan for flooding is available for two locations in the North East.

It is being provided by the Environment Agency on the gov.uk website for the River Tyne at Hexham, Northumberland, and Lustrum Beck at Stockton-on-Tees.

All communities can see observed data for river levels for the past five days. Now people living in these two areas can also see their future flood risk in a 36-hour river level forecast.

The aim is to help communities be more aware of their flood risk and be able to plan for potential flooding incidents. The new river forecasts are calculated by computer models that take into account data like current flows and expected rainfall.

Forecast information can change quickly so people are still advised to sign up for the Environment Agency’s free flood warning service to ensure they are notified if a warning is issued for their community.

And residents and businesses can still get the most up-to-date and accurate situation from the live online map which updates every 15 minutes and details the current Severe Flood Warnings, Flood Warnings and Alerts in place.

Help residents manage flood risk

Phil Taylor, from the Environment Agency’s Flood Resilience Team in the North East, said:

We are always looking at ways to use technology to better share information with people, and residents have told us that they would find it really useful to see these forecasts to help them manage their flood risk.

We want people to know if they are at risk of flooding, be prepared, and take action to protect themselves and their families. A wealth of information is available on our website for people to find out if they are at risk and understand how to prepare.

Everything residents and businesses need to know about how to check their risk and prepare for flooding is online on the Floods Destroy website.

The new 36-hour river forecasting for Hexham and Stockton can be found online at:

Lustrum Beck, Stockton-On-Tees
and
River Tyne at Hexham

The plan is to continue to refine the service based on feedback from users before rolling it out to other areas in the future.

People who live in areas where the 36-hour forecast is not available can still view data on river levels from the previous five days.

Burial service for soldier of the first world war

A burial service will be held in the morning of Tuesday 27 March at Bailleul Road East Cemetery, France for 1 soldier of the first world war.

The remains of a soldier of the Royal Scots were discovered by a team of workmen near to Athiens. Given the location of where the remains were found it is a possibility that this soldier was killed during the Battle of Arras in April 1917. However there are still too many soldiers of the Royal Scots missing from that battle to identify this soldier.

The service has been organised by the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and will be attended by British Defence Staff, regimental representatives from The Royal Regiment of Scotland and local dignitaries. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will be providing the headstone.

Rededication service for Serjeant John MacKenzie MM

A rededication service will be held in the afternoon of Tuesday 27 March at Anneux British Cemetery, France for Serjeant John Mackenzie MM.

Serjeant John MacKenzie MM was just 21 years old when he died on 25 March 1918, a few days after the start of the German Spring Offensive. Having been wounded he was taken prisoner and died of his wounds in Inchy-en-Artois. Until recently the location of Serjeant MacKenzie’s grave remained unknown and he is commemorated on the Arras Memorial. However research has shown that he is in fact buried in Anneux British Cemetery.

The service has been organised by the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and will be attended by British Defence Staff, members of the family, regimental representatives from The Royal Regiment of Scotland and local dignitaries. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will be providing the headstone.

Burial service for soldiers of the first world war

A burial service will be held on in the morning of Wednesday 28 March at Orchard Dump Cemetery, France, for soldiers of the first world war.

The remains of two soldiers of the Royal Scots were discovered by a farmer near to Haisnes. The location of where the remains were found makes it possible that these soldiers were killed during the Battle of Loos in September 1915. However there are still too many soldiers of the Royal Scots missing from that battle to identify these soldiers.

These 2 members of the Royal Scots will be buried alongside an unknown soldier of an unknown regiment. His remains were found by a farmer near to the former Hohenzollern Redoubt, a German defensive position which was fought over several times.

The remains of a soldier of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were discovered by a farmer in Cuinchy. Again, given the location of where the remains were found it is a possibility that this soldier was killed during the Battle of Loos in September 1915. However there are still too many soldiers of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders missing from that battle to identify this soldier.

A burial service will be held on in the afternoon of Wednesday 28 March at Worburn Abbey Cemetery, France, for a soldier of the First World War.

The services have been organised by the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and will be attended by British Defence Staff, members of the family, regimental representatives from The Royal Regiment of Scotland and local dignitaries. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will be providing the headstones.