WINTER IS COMING
Frost leaves Britain shivering... as flood mayhem returns
WHILE the early morning sunshine may have been welcome, the sight of these deer foraging in a frosty landscape yesterday provided a chilly reminder that winter’s on the way.
A day after the clocks went back, the herd was photographed grazing in Richmond Park, London.
Swathes of Britain felt the overnight chill, with temperatures as low as -4.3C (24.2F) in Shap, Cumbria, and -2C (28F) in parts of Surrey.
However, some areas of the country woke up to flood instead of frost. Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire was almost cut off by the overflowing Severn
‘The Severn is unusually high’
and Avon rivers in scenes reminiscent of the devastating floods there in 2007. Fortunately, most of the floodwater affected open areas and farmland rather than properties.
Dave Throup, Environment Agency manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire, said: ‘It’s very unusual for the River Severn to be at such high levels. We have flood warnings in place from the Welsh border to Gloucester.’
Temporary barriers protected buildings in low-lying areas of Bewdley, Upton- upon- Severn, Worcester, Shrewsbury and Ironbridge.
Emergency services in Herefordshire and Worcestershire said they had rescued 70 people. The River Wye was at record levels, with some 20 homes in Hereford evacuated at the weekend. In the Forest of Dean, the village of Lower Lydbrook was flooded by high tides and rain from the Welsh hills.
The Meteorological Office said yesterday that the current fine but chilly interlude from the rain will last until tomorrow, followed by mild and wet weather into Thursday and unsettled conditions over the weekend.