‘Danger to life’ flood warning STILL in place as devastated Brits face mammoth clean up after Storm Bert left five dead
A ‘DANGER to life’ flood warning is still in place with Brits facing a mammoth clean up job after Storm Bert left five dead.
Hundreds of homes were left under water, roads were turned into rivers and winds of more than 80mph were recorded across parts of the UK.
A severe flood warning, meaning there is danger to life, has been issued for Billing Aquadrome holiday park and the surrounding parks next to the River Nene in Northampton.
The flood alert was re-issued “due to deep and fast flowing water” which remains on the park.
Officials said this will “continue to be extremely hazardous” throughout the night.
People waded through deep water yesterday to escape the flooding, holding carrier bags containing their belongings.
Stan Brown, 67, who has lived on the Billing Aquadrome park for 25 years, said he has “had enough” and felt he had no choice but to move away.
He said: “I’ve got somewhere else to go but I’m one of the few. Other people have spent their life savings to buy a place on there, and now they’ve got nowhere else to go.”
Communities in England and Wales have now started a “massive clean-up” after torrential rain and widespread flooding from Storm Bert over the past few days.
Homeowners in Didcot, Oxfordshire, have been left disgusted as sewage “poured into streets” during the aftermath of the Storm.
Other residents in affected areas have said they do not believe the chaos will by cleared by Christmas, as the Environment Secretary Steve Reed said the UK’s flood defences were in the “worst condition on record”.
Sutherland Beck in Didcot’s Ladygrove estate has been badly flooded as householders have been unable to get to work.
People living in the area have said the impact of foul waste in the streets is having a “huge impact” on their wellbeing.
Meanwhile, five people and two dogs have been rescued by fire crews after becoming trapped inside a pub after the River Avon burst its banks following heavy rain.
Station manager for Bath and Kingswood Fire Station Darren Staples said the water level in the pub “had got up to just below the ceiling height”.
Mr Reed also said more flooding is likely this week but should have a less severe impact than has been seen so far.
Cwmtillery, a former mining community in South Wales, suffered an apparent landslide during the storm on Sunday, with many people asked to leave their homes overnight after mud and water came up to just below their windows.
Luc Robertson, who lives in Woodland Terrace in the village, said: “We just didn’t expect it, we haven’t prepared for it or anything, but obviously just glad that nobody’s injured.”
“All the debris, that’s what’s caused the carnage, it’s going to be a massive clean-up,” she added.
Rob Scholes, 75, who went back to check the damage to his house on Monday after being moved out, said: “My neighbour phoned and said ‘don’t open your front door’, so I didn’t and we just watched it come up.
“To be honest, I really don’t think we’re going to get this cleared up by Christmas,” he added.
Welsh Water has issued a “boil water” notice to customers in 10 areas in South Wales, advising that their tap water may be contaminated because of flooding and must be boiled until further notice.
A major incident was declared in the Rhondda Cynon Taf region on Sunday after between 200 and 300 properties were affected by flooding.
In a statement on Monday, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said it had issued flood warnings before the downpour but there was “no silver bullet” to managing the flood risk, after criticism of the warnings from a local council leader.
The Environment Secretary said the Government was allocating more money this winter to upgrade flood defences faster.
He said: “This Government inherited from the previous government flood defences that are in the worst condition on record.
“Now we’ve allocated in the budget £2.4 billion to upgrade our flood defences, better maintain those we already have, build new flood defences to keep people safe.”
Mr Reed added the Government would “stand ready to offer whatever further support we can” for those worst affected in Wales.
He later told the Commons: “Further flooding is sadly likely over the next few days as water levels rise in slower flowing rivers such as the Severn and the Ouse.
“The Environment Agency anticipates that any impacts should be less severe than we have seen in recent days.”
Five men died over the weekend as a result of the adverse weather.
A man in his 80s died after his car entered water at a ford in Colne, Lancashire, on Saturday, while a body was found in the search for Brian Perry, 75, who went missing while walking his dog near the Afon Conwy river in North Wales on the same day.
Fire crews rescued 57 children and one adult from school bus after it became stranded in flood water on Eckington Bridge in Worcestershire on Monday, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said.
Louise Preston, 20, who co-owns pottery shop Pitter Potter in the town, said it had been “heart-warming” to see the “community spirit” in the clean up efforts.
She said the business had lost a window, adding: “We’ve had police support officers down, the firemen were marvellous yesterday, Tesco has been giving people free cleaning materials.
“The cafes, who themselves have suffered, have been donating free tea and coffee to everybody.”
About 350,000 homes in England lost power during the storm, though most have since been reconnected.
Some areas saw more than 130mm of rain in 24 hours on Sunday.