Villagers in South Cambridgeshire are being urged to prepare for flooding, as storm Christoph approaches.

The Met Office has issued a flood alert along the River Rhee from Guilden Morden to Haslingfield, as well as a yellow weather warning for Hertfordshire and our area of Cambridgeshire until 12 noon on Thursday - as the storm is forecast to bring heavy rain.

The alert means flooding is possible in the affected area - the River Rhee is mainly situated away from homes, but roads and footpaths could be affected.

The Environment Agency's 'Prepare' flood alert means those affected by the risk of flooding should prepare a bag that includes medicines and insurance documents and sign up for flood warnings - by phone, text or email -at https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings.

More significant flood warnings are to 'Act' - turn off gas and electricity and move family and pets upstairs to safety, and the most severe, which is 'Survive' - call 999 if in immediate danger, and keep yourself and your family safe. Neither of these warnings have been issued in our area.

On its website, the Environment Agency said: "River levels are continuing to fall but remain high at the Wimpole river gauge as a result of recent rainfall. Consequently, the risk of flooding remains.

"We expect flooding to affect the River Rhee from Guilden Morden to Haslingfield. Heavy rainfall is forecast on Wednesday, January 20. We expect river levels to rise again in response to this rainfall.

"We are closely monitoring the situation. Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses and plan driving routes to avoid low lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded."

The Rhee is a tributary of the River Cam and begins at Ashwell Springs. It forms the county boundary between Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire for around two kilometres, then the boundary between Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire for a kilometre.

It crosses Wimpole Hall and receives waters from the River Mel at Meldreth before reaching the southern edge of Barrington. It then passes Harston Mill and touches the eastern edge of Haslingfield before joining the River Granta at Hauxton.