Motorists warned not to drive through flood road closures

Following reports across Lincolnshire of vehicles driving through closed areas with flood water up to their headlights, the County Council is warning motorists to respect road closure signs – and has issued 5 surprising reasons why driving through water can be dangerous.**

Here are Lincolnshire County Council’s top 5 reasons not to drive through flood water:

Surprisingly, it only takes 1 foot of water to float many cars and two feet of flowing water can sweep even 4-wheel-drive vehicles away.

Water can hide many things in the road – dips, boulders, even removed manhole covers which are prone to coming loose in floods.

Some roads can be closed as the surface has been undermined, so even if the water doesn’t look too deep, the highway may be crumbling below you.

Just six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars; this depth can cause water to be sucked in resulting in loss of control, stalling, damage to the brakes, electronics or transmission. Reduced air intake can also damage engines, especially diesels.

If you’ve removed a sign to drive through a flooded road, the situation may worsen after you’ve passed, leading other unsuspecting motorists straight into it.

The authority’s particular areas of concern today are the B1184 known as The Gride between Sibsey, Hobhole Bank to Old Leake and the A57 Dunham Bridge.

Flooded roads can be reported to the county council on 01522 782070. Any other flooding should be reported to the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60.