Barbara brings fortnight’s rain in a day

A FORTNIGHT’S worth of rain deluged parts of Britain yesterday as storm Barbara blew in.

Travel was disrupted as motorists laboured through surface water and spray on roads after more than an inch of rain fell before lunchtime. Train journeys were also delayed after Britain was hit by a ‘glancing blow’ from the storm system which had swept across western Europe.

Accidents were reported on the M5 linking the Midlands to the south West and the A303 was closed in both directions following a crash in Wiltshire. Off well in Devon was drenched by more than an inch of rain while a similar amount fell on the opposite end of the south Coast in East sussex.

Other southern counties had almost an inch of water falling in the downpours.

severe gales added to the dangerous conditions, with gusts of up to 55mph recorded on the Kent coast.

The Met Office issued yellow warnings for the wind and rain, covering the West Midlands to eastern England and the south West. Flood alerts were issued in parts of Leicestershire and on the Cornish coast.

Met Office forecaster Craig snell said storm Barbara was ‘moving north east – we know as we got a glancing blow of it – and it’s weakening as it does so’.

he added that today ‘thankfully will be drier and brighter but there will be short, sharp showers around the south East and London. North of Manchester, it will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain.’

The rest of the week will be unsettled with day temperatures of 12-13C (53-55F) in the North with the south a touch warmer.