UK braced for a 70mph battering
BRITAIN suffered widespread flooding yesterday as the country steadied itself for 70mph winds and further rainfall from Hurricane Lorenzo.
Major roads were closed and submerged cars were abandoned after heavy downpours left many towns under several feet of water.
The inaugural Regatta London race on the River Thames was cancelled and the route of the Cycling Road World Championship in Yorkshire was cut short by 15 miles.
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkhill warned yesterday that parts of the country could receive up to 70mm of rainfall – and even more chaos will be on the way as Hurricane Lorenzo is due to hit Britain on Thursday.
Lorenzo – the strongest hurricane to reach so far north and east – has seen winds peak at 160mph, but they could still reach 75mph by the time the hurricane reaches British shores.
Warnings
Alex said: “There’s currently a lot of uncertainty about where the hurricane will hit – it could either go over Iceland or hit France.
“It won’t be a hurricane by the time it hits the UK but it will be very wet and windy.”
Yesterday, the Environment Agency had 30 flood warnings in place, pointing to imminent flooding which required action to be taken.
The agency also issued another 175 flood alerts, urging people to be prepared for possible flooding.
Yellow weather warnings – indicating persistent rain and a risk of flooding – were put in place over the weekend across the North-west and South-west of England and Wales.
In the 24 hours to yesterday evening, Sennybridge in Powys, Wales, recorded the highest rainfall, at 53.8mm.
The River Wye in Builth Wells, Powys, burst its banks, while flooding in Aberdeenshire also caused roads to be closed.
Around 100 people were trapped in a pub in Devon after the River Teign overflowed and a vehicle also overturned on the A381 near Kingsbridge, Devon, after hitting flood water caused by heavy rain.