Thousands evacuated as Storm Franklin brings more heavy rain and high winds to UK in wake of Eunice
ITV News Northern Correspondent Hannah Miller reports on the third storm to hit the UK in a week
Storm Franklin has brought heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the UK already battered by deadly Storm Eunice, leaving thousands without power and sparking evacuations amid threat to life flood warnings.
Severe flood warnings for parts of Manchester have been removed. The Environment Agency has issued hundreds of flood warning across the UK, as well as a rare “severe” warning for the River Severn at the Wharfage, Ironbridge, where rising water levels pose a “significant risk to life”.
Energy minister Greg Hands said 32,000 households across the UK have yet to have their power restored.
The third named storm in a week caused widespread rush-hour travel disruption, with train operators warning customers not to travel amid gale-force winds and flooding.
Storm Franklin's wind and rain follows the disruption and damage of Dudley and Eunice, with weather forecasters saying it's the first time since 2015 that we've had three named storms in a week.
Storm Franklin’s highest gust of 87mph was recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight on Sunday evening, followed by gusts of 79mph on a mountaintop in Wales early on Monday.
Greater Manchester
Dozens of people in the Didsbury and Wythenshawe areas of Greater Manchester spent the night in emergency accommodation, after being forced to leave their homes because of dangerously high river levels brought by Storm Franklin.
The operation was stood down in the early hours of Monday morning after engineers and emergency services have worked through the night to ease pressure of rising water levels by opening specially-designed flood gates.
Yorkshire
In Yorkshire, major flooding had blocked roads and people have been rescued from their homes after several rivers burst their banks.
The River Don burst its banks in the Sprotbrough area of Doncaster in South Yorkshire on Sunday night, and police have warned people to stay away from dangerous “fast-flowing” water. Central Sheffield’s flood defences appear to have held, despite fears as the River Don raged through the city on Sunday night.
Major flooding closed South Yorkshire’s Rotherham Central railway station until Tuesday.
In North Yorkshire, firefighters rescued people and their pets from a caravan park in Knaresborough after flooding from the River Nidd.
Equipment that was being used to build flood defences in Leeds has been washed away after water levels rose on the River Aire in Storm Franklin.
The heavy-duty machinery was washed downstream on Sunday afternoon following heavy rain in West Yorkshire.
Wales
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) currently has 27 flood warnings and 48 flood alerts in place across Wales with gusts of up to 50-60mph expected.
The yellow warning is set to be in place until at least 1pm.
East Midlands
The Environment Agency has warned the flooding of properties is imminent in the region. .
At least 25 flood alerts, and 7 more serious flood warnings, have been issued across the region.
A yellow wind warning that covers England, Wales and south-western Scotland is in place until 1pm, while an amber warning for Northern Ireland expired at 7am.
Storm Franklin’s highest gust of 87mph was recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight on Sunday evening, followed by current gusts of 79mph on a mountaintop in Wales.
Northern Ireland
Thousands of homes in the UK are still without power due to Storm Eunice, and Storm Franklin is complicating recovery efforts. Around 3,000 homes were without power in Northern Ireland, mainly across the west of the province.
At the peak of the disruption, Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said there were 10,000 homes without power.
Waves crash over the sea wall and a car is covered in sea foam in Portstewart, Northern Ireland
South-east
Over 9,000 homes across the south-east are still without power as of 6am this morning, according to UK Power Networks.
Rail operators are urging passengers not to travel, as they are warning of "significantly reduced services."
GWR, South Eastern and Southern are expecting widespread cancellations and delays.
Many have introduced speed restrictions across the network due to the severe weather.
They are recommending people only travel for "essential" journeys.
The southbound QEII bridge at Dartford Crossing was closed overnight due to strong winds.
Storm Franklin brought flooding to parts of Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, as well as sudden snow showers and more high winds.
All Northern rail services across the North West were cancelled for most of the morning, with some services beginning to start up again following severe weather and numerous incidents.
A flood warning is in place at Keswick Campsite due to Derwent Water levels remaining high as well as the River Eden at Carlisle, Rickerby Park, Swifts and Stoneyholme Golf Courses.
There were multiple power cuts over the weekend, with power not expected to be fully restored until Wednesday morning in some areas, including Windermere and Coniston.
Derbyshire
Streets in the town of Matlock, Derbyshire, have been flooded after the River Derwent burst its banks, with residents posting photos on Twitter and describing the town centre as “a river”.