Communities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) endured their second wettest February on record in 2026, as new figures reveal the scale of persistent heavy rainfall across the region.
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Data released by the Met Office shows 125.5mm of rain fell during the month – 277% of the long-term February average – making it the wettest February since 1977.
The figures have prompted flood experts at the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) to urge residents to take action and become “risk ready” all year round as concerns grow over increasing flooding incidents.
Several communities have already begun putting measures in place to protect homes and infrastructure.
In Barrow-upon-Soar, the parish council has installed two pumps and a sandbag storage cabin at the village cemetery, funded through Charnwood Borough Council’s flood locker scheme. Additional funding from Leicestershire County Council has also been used to install warning signs on Slash Lane, a road known for frequent flooding.
Meanwhile in Littlethorpe, residents Mark and Sharon have invested £15,000 in flood defences after their home flooded twice in just over a year. With support from a £5,000 Property Flood Resilience (PFR) grant from Leicestershire County Council, they installed a flood door, barrier, resilient air bricks and carried out a full flood survey.
They have since joined neighbours in Narborough and Littlethorpe to form a Community Response Team, aimed at improving local preparedness.
Volunteer Flood Warden Dave Ovington-Creighton, who has served the area for two decades, said flooding had worsened in recent years.
“Flooding seems to have got worse since 2024 so the community has come together to try to do something about it,” he said.
“As Flood Warden for the last 20 years, I’ve always had a lot of support from the local community but this is different – there are a lot more people getting on board and looking at ways to make a difference, support each other and reduce the risk of flooding.”
The LRF is now calling on all communities across LLR to take simple steps to improve resilience, including checking their flood risk, signing up for flood alerts, creating community response plans and recruiting volunteer flood wardens.
Residents are also being encouraged to join the LRF’s “Risk Ready Communities” programme, which offers free training through webinars, workshops and in-person events to help areas better prepare for emergencies such as flooding.
