Free flood warnings are to be sent to EE customers in Devon and Cornwall following a successful trial in Staffordshire earlier this year.

The new scheme is the first time flood warnings will be issued directly through a mobile hpone provider in England and will enable mobile phone users to receive messages from the Environment Agency’s Floodline Warnings Direct service.

Craig Woolhouse, flood risk manager at the Environment Agency, said: ‘We want to ensure that everyone has as much time as possible to prepare for flooding and by working with EE we’re now able to warn even more people about the risks.

‘Flood warnings save lives and this ground-breaking initiative is another way of raising awareness of flood risk.’

The Environment Agency already sends flood warnings to 600,000 home and business landline numbers.