Second time in a week! Britain hit by floods again
MAJOR incidents were declared across swathes of England and South Wales yesterday as Storm Dennis brought some of the worst flooding for a generation.
A month’s worth of rain fell over the weekend as a record 614 flood alerts were issued, winds reached speeds of 91mph and landslides were triggered in the South Wales valleys, which saw the worst torrents.
One man died in a river as the wild weather – which was described as being ‘like a tornado’ – caused hundreds of half-term holiday flights to be cancelled.
Cars were left barely visible amid a sea of murky brown water in Crickhowell, Powys, where drone footage showed the extent of a deluge which virtually cut off the town after the River Usk burst its banks. Some residents were airlifted from the town, which had already endured severe floods twice since 2018.
In Nantgarw, in the Taff Valley, an ambulance was spotted floating in the water as dinghies were used to rescue the elderly – including one pensioner with a dog, and another on a stretcher. Residents were woken by emergency services or flood alerts sent to their phones, to find ground floors knee- deep in murky flood water.
But the worst scenes were in Pontypridd, six miles north, where the River Taff burst its banks - leaving the main shopping street under water in what one councillor said was the worst flooding to hit the town since 1979 – before flood defences were installed.
The situation in South Wales prompted the Met Office to issue its first red warning – the highest, ‘life threatening’ level – for rain since 2015, while police declared major incidents in South Wales, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
In Ystradgynlais, near Swansea, a man in his 60s was seen entering the River Tawe near Gorsedd Park at around 10am. His body was recovered eight miles downstream. Police said his death was not being treated as suspicious, or linked to the adverse weather.
Across England, from west Cornwall to Norham in Northumberland, 265 flood warnings – meaning immediate action is required – were issued, along with 349 flood alerts warning people to be prepared. The total of 614 was the most ever in force on a single day, the Environment Agency said.
Meteorologists said that although wind speeds were less than the peak of Storm Ciara’s 97mph last weekend, Storm Dennis could cause more flooding damage on already saturated ground.
Sarah Bridge, 55, compared the storm to a tornado and said water flooding her home in Pontrilas, Herefordshire, had reached her knees. ‘It’s heart-breaking,’ she said. ‘The kitchen is completely flooded, I can hear things floating about downstairs.’
In neighbouring Worcestershire, Tenbury Wells – where residents have long demanded better protection from water – was cut off after suffering its worst flooding since 2007.
Last night, the main street remained impassable except by boat after the River Teme burst its banks, while the swollen River Severn prompted similar scenes across the county in Bewdley.
In Pontypridd, around 50 houses were left waist-deep in water, the rising waters ripping out riverside railings in scenes Plaid Cymru councillor Heledd Fychan described as ‘shocking and horrentwo dous’. She said: ‘There is utter devastation.
In Nantgarw, mother- of-three Tracey Newman, 46, was woken by the sound of pouring water gushing into her living room. She said: ‘I phoned the police and they told me to stay indoors, go upstairs and carry as much as you can. The water was up to my waist. We have lost everything downstairs.
Mrs Newman, who shares her home with son Tienne, 15, and daughter Aiko, 16, and the family’s dogs, said: ‘Firemen are in our street and everyone is shouting out their bedroom windows to them. It was really frightening.’
Retired miner Brian Owen, 84, survived when the River Taff swept through the cottage where he lives alone in Quaker’s Yard, near Merthyr Tydfil.
‘I was wading around trying to save things but it was impossible. There’s a lot of damage.’
A mountain landslide caused by the heavy rainfall was caught on
camera outside Tylorstown in the Rhondda. Mobile phone footage showed water and debris plummeting down the Old Smokey mountain close to a local leisure centre.
The chaos was caused by a low pressure weather system that drops very quickly – known as a ‘bomb cyclone’, or rapid cyclogenesis.
Emergency centres have been set up for in South Wales those who have been displaced. The Met Office said a total of 156.2mm (6.1ins) of rain fell at Crai Reservoir in Powys in 48 hours. The average monthly rainfall for February in Wales is 111.1mm (4.3ins).
Paul Mason, group manager of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said the scene was the worst he had experienced in his 31-year career. He said: ‘ This weather is unprecedented. We haven’t seen this, it’s incredible, and it’s right throughout the South Wales Valleys.’
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge that the Government was ‘stepping up its response’ to extreme weather situations. He said it had put £2.4bn into defences over a sixyear spending period, and would allocate £4bn for the next six-year period.
Around 170 flights were cancelled, affecting at least 25,000 passengers at airports from Edinburgh in the north to Gatwick in the south. Many rail services were also suspended, while strong winds caused the closure of the M48 Severn Bridge and the Dartford bridge.
On Saturday, a body was found by the RNLI after a seven-hour search in ‘rough seas’ for a man who fell from a fuel tanker off the coast of Margate. Searches were continuing for a woman feared to have been swept off Brighton seafront.
The Met Office issued ‘yellow’ strong wind warnings for this morning covering Wales, North West England and Scotland. The Environment Agency (EA) said ‘significant’ river and surface water flooding is expected to continue into next week.