Derbyshire Police referred to IOPC over death of Maureen Gilbert during Storm Babet

A police force has referred itself to the watchdog over the death of an elderly woman during flooding caused by Storm Babet.

The body of 83-year-old Maureen Gilbert was found at her home in Tapton Terrace, Chesterfield, on Saturday, 21 October.

Derbyshire Police confirmed it had notified the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the role of officers in evacuating homes in the area the night before.

In a statement a force spokesperson said: "The referral is mandatory due to officers being involved with the evacuation of homes in the area on Friday evening.

"This was part of a multi-agency response in which the force was supporting colleagues from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service who were evacuating properties."

The family had been informed, the force said.

Mrs Gilbert's son, Paul, found her body floating in flood water on Saturday.

He told ITV News he "thought she would be all right" after flood defences were installed outside her home.

"I did not want to find my own mum and I expected somebody else to have found her," he said

"I go through so many different stages - anger, upset, I don’t know. I can’t put it into words what it means at the moment."

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins has called for an inquiry into the response to the flooding in the town following Mrs Gilbert's death.

He said: "The Gilbert family need to know everything in terms of the emergency response, in terms of why the flood remediation package that had been put in place was inadequate. I think people here now are questioning, is it safe to live here?"

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