Don’t put the mops and buckets away just yet...
More flooding forecast as the clean-up starts
SCOTS whose homes were deluged by Storm Desmond returned yesterday – as forecasters predicted more heavy rain and floods.
As the clean-up operation began, warnings were still in place for swathes of the country, lasting until Thursday.
Residents and businesses in the worst-hit areas of Cumbria in the North of England and Hawick, Roxburghshire, faced the grim task of assessing the weekend’s damage.
More than four inches of rain fell in Hawick on Saturday, resulting in large parts of the riverside being ripped away and houses and businesses flooded. At the peak of the storm, about 300 homes were evacuated as the River Teviot burst its banks.
Disruption continued yesterday, with many roads closed and the West Coast Mainline rail route suspended, with services unlikely to be restored before tomorrow.
The Met Office warned that ‘all the evidence’ suggests that climate change has played a role in the flooding.
Calling the conditions ‘extraordinary, chief scientist Dame Julia Slingo said: ‘Is it to do with climate change? There can’t yet be a definitive answer, but we know from all the evidence of fundamental physics and what we understand about our weather patterns, that there is potentially a role.’
Environment Secretary Liz Truss said the ‘unprecedented weather event’ was consistent with ‘the trends we’re seeing in terms of climate change’.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also said the floods ‘are consistent with global warming’.
In Hawick, Susan Blakely, 48, was among those returning home. She said: ‘We were in this same house for the last flood in 2005 and ended up out the house for eight months.
‘When we heard we might be evacuated I was just hoping it wasn’t going to be the same thing.
‘At around 4.30pm we were evacuated, so went to stay with friends. All the carpets are ruined and have
‘House insurance
is a nightmare’
had to be ripped up, leaving the house in a bit of a state.
‘We feel trapped here. We would love to move but we can’t sell it for a reasonable price because nobody will buy it. House insurance is a nightmare. At the moment it’s about £2,000 a year.’
Nine flood warnings and six alerts were in place last night, with 50mm (2in) of rain expected to fall overnight and gale force winds due tomorrow. More rain is also due and concerns are rising over another storm.
The Met Office yesterday said a new UK record had been set for rainfall over a 48-hour period – with 405mm (15.9in) of rain falling in 38 hours at Thirlmere in Cumbria, beating the previous record of 395.6mm (15.6in) in Seathwaite, Cumbria, in November 2009. Families in Cumbria were told it could be months before they can return.
The storm claimed its second victim, with Cumbria Police confirming a body had been found in the River Kent in Kendal after an elderly man fell into the water on Sunday. A 90-year-old man died when he was blown into the path of a bus in London on Saturday.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: ‘Various parts of Scotland experienced emergency situations caused by the flooding over the weekend.
‘I have today agreed to activate the Bellwin scheme, which provides support to local authorities to assist with immediate and unforeseen costs of dealing with the latest flood damage.’
Flooding Minister Dr Aileen McLeod will visit Hawick today to see first-hand the impact of the flooding on the local community.
David Cameron yesterday visited Cumbria. It is feared the clean-up operation could cost as much as half a billion pounds.