Three dead and hundreds of homes flooded as Storm Babet batters large parts of Britain

There could be worse to come as the Met Office issues weather warnings across the UK. ITV News Scotland Reporter Louise Scott has the latest


Three people have died, a man is missing and a plane skidded off the runway in Leeds as Storm Babet battered large parts of Britain.

A man in his 60s, caught in fast-flowing flood water in the town of Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire, has become the latest person to die in the extreme weather, West Mercia Police confirmed.

Last night two people died in Angus, where hundreds of homes were evacuated as torrents of water swept through the region.

A 57-year-old woman died after being swept into the Water of Lee at Glen Esk, where rivers reached "unprecedented" levels on Thursday afternoon.


Where is at most risk from Storm Babet? ITV News correspondents Rachel Townsend and Pablo Taylor report


A 56-year-old man died after a tree fell onto a van near Forfar, Angus, at around 5pm.

A major search and rescue operation is continuing for another man who was seen trapped in a vehicle in floodwater around 3am on Friday near Marykirk, Aberdeenshire.

A woman is rescued from her home with her dog in Brechin. Credit: PA

The storm had caused severe disruption to roads, rail and flights.

The runway at Leeds Bradford Airport was closed after a Tui plane skidded off the runway amid heavy rain.

A rare red "danger to life" weather alert was in place until noon on Friday as the Met Office issued further warnings for much of the UK tonight and into Saturday.

Roads and bridges collapsed amid fears a tiny village could be completely cut off for a second time, as First Minister Humza Yousaf warned “we have not seen the last of this”.

A 200-year-old bridge on the Rottal Estate in Angus was washed away by torrential flood water, while a road connecting Marykirk, Angus, where some houses were evacuated also collapsed.

The village of Edzell, Angus, was cut off by flood water from three rivers which surround it. While most of the surface water drained away, residents were fearful of more rain forecast overnight.

A man and his dog rescued from Brechin Credit: PA

What warnings are in place?

The Met Office red weather warning in Scotland began at 6pm on Thursday and was expanded to include Dundee, Perth and Kinross, as well as Angus and Aberdeenshire.

It lasted until midday on Friday, with another red warning for rain issued for the whole of Saturday in the Angus region as more "very heavy rainfall" is expected to cause further flooding.

Amber weather warnings for wind and rain have also been issued for parts of northern England, the Midlands and northern Wales from midday on Friday to 6am on Saturday, and flooding caused "severe disruption" in the Midlands on Friday morning.

Where in England has Storm Babet hit?

As well as the severe floods in Scotland, parts of England are braced for flooding, with 92 flood alerts made by the Environment Agency.

A plane, returning from Corfu, has come off the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport while landing in windy conditions.

The Tui aircraft was landing at the airport after flying from Corfu when it came off the runway onto the grass.

The top of a lighthouse near Newcastle was ripped off as huge waves battered the north-east coast, while in Suffolk a major incident was declared due to flooding and residents told not to travel unless "absolutely necessary".

West Midlands Fire Service rescued eight people and a dog after vehicles became stranded infloodwater in the village of Balsall Common, near Solihull.

The service has urged people not to drive through flood water in that area and in Northfield, Birmingham after a car was pushed 30 metres down a fast-flowing river.

Suffolk Council and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service have both declared a major incident in their counties as Storm Badet causes major flooding.

Waves crash against South Shields lighthouse after the top was ripped off in Storm Babet. Credit: PA

Hundreds of homes evacuated in Scotland amid 'very serious emergency'

The town of Brechin, Angus, saw its flood defences breached on Thursday night, as fire crews and the coastguard evacuated people from hundreds of homes.

On Friday, Angus Council said: “It has been a very challenging night, Brechin defences were breached around 4am this morning and the river levels are around 4.4m above normal levels.

Storm Babet: What to expect as Met Office issues weather warning

Water was beyond knee height in Brechin after rivers burst flood defences. Credit: PA

“This is completely unprecedented and at these heights, gauges have become unreliable.

“We completely understand that it is very hard to leave your home but parts of Brechin, and increasingly other parts of Angus, are now only accessible via boat."

Angus Council said people in more than 60 homes in Brechin, who refused previous evacuation attempts, required rescue.

The council urged anyone at risk of flooding to evacuate as soon as possible.

Three rest centres have been set up nearby for those who need to leave.

Schools were shut on Friday to “ensure the safety of children, young people, parents, and school staff”.

The Angus region was battered by heavy rain and over 27,000 properties were hit by power cuts, although Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said that as of 11.30am on Friday electricity had been restored to almost 24,000.

It added it was working to reconnect 4,000 other properties which have been cut off - Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perthshire were the main areas affected by power cuts.

Roads closed, rail lines blocked and flights grounded

Large parts of the UK have been hit by transport disruption due to the weather, with several major roads have been closed, rail lines blocked and flights grounded by the severe weather.

Sections of several A roads in Scotland were closed on Friday morning, with some reopening later in the day.

Flooding has caused 70 minute delays on the A1 near Grantham, National Highways has said.

Train services in the Midlands were affected by flooding on Friday morning, as National Rail said all lines were impacted between Worcester Foregate Street and Stratford-upon-Avon, between Birmingham New Street and Cheltenham Spa, and between Longbridge and Bromsgrove.

People stand on a bus stop in Dublin to avoid getting splashed. Credit: PA

The railway was blocked between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley, and between Hereford and Shrewsbury.

Train services were also disrupted in north-east England and Yorkshire, with some lines blocked between Sheffield and Lincoln due to flooding, and trains unable to call at Rotherham.

A speed restriction because of high winds was in place between Newcastle and Edinburgh, causing delays.

Meanwhile, several routes in north-west England and north Wales were closed due to flooding.

Dale End Cafe in Coalbrookdale, Telford. Credit: PA

These include all lines between Chester and Crewe; between Wrexham Central and Bidston; and between Hooton and both Chester and Ellesmere Port, and some lines were blocked between Crewe and Shrewsbury.

Meanwhile, 12 departures and seven arrivals were cancelled at Aberdeen airport on Friday after dozens of flights were axed on Thursday.

Ireland's major cleanup after flooding

A major cleanup operation began in Ireland on Thursday, where the storm left several towns and villages swamped with floodwater.

The counties of Cork and Waterford on the southern coast were the worst hit, with Cork County Council reporting almost a month's worth of rain fell in the space of 24 hours.

The clean-up gets under way on Main street in Midleton Credit: Brian Lawless/PA

The army and civil defence units helped evacuate people in the town of Midleton, where more than 100 properties were flooded.

A number of businesses were damaged by the rapidly rising water levels and as many as 500 electricity customers still had no power on Thursday morning.

Councillor Liam Quaide said the scenes of flooding in the town were “apocalyptic”.

“The scenes of devastation in Midleton (are) an ominous sign of what is ahead of us as a nation if we don’t double down on climate mitigation and adaptation," he said.


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