Drivers rescued by boats as 106mph Storm Bella floods roads and train lines
FIRE crews had to use boats to rescue trapped drivers from floods, train services were cancelled as water and trees blocked tracks and about 21,000 homes were left without power as Storm Bella battered Britain with winds of more than 100mph.
Two threat to life flood warnings remained in place last night in Northamptonshire after days of wintry weather across the Christmas break.
A cold snap with icy and wintry conditions is still to come.
The top wind speed was recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight, where it reached 106mph overnight.
Aberdaron, in north west Wales, experienced gusts of 83mph, and locations on the south coast of England, including Dorset, got close to 80mph.
Fire crews in north Yorkshire rescued a number of people from vehicles stranded in floods.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service also said crews used a boat to rescue two men and two dogs from a vehicle stuck in flowing floodwater in Hawes at 12.37am yesterday. And in Aysgarth a man and a woman were rescued by boat from the roof of their car at 2.40am. This was after they drove into deep floodwater.
Elsewhere, firefighters walked a woman to safety through water in Wensley at 3.35am after a minor collision while driving through floods.
Flooding on the tracks caused train cancellations and delays.
All trains between Bournemouth and Southampton Central were stopped due to water on the line, Great Western Railway said, and one of the major lines into London was also blocked when a tree fell on the tracks in Haslemere, Surrey.
In Wales, Western Power said the storm had caused power cuts to about 21,000 homes.
Meanwhile, people in 1,300 homes by the River Great Ouse in Bedfordshire were advised to move out following high water levels on Christmas Day.
Two severe flood warnings indicating a potential threat to life were still in place at Cogenhoe Mill caravan site, near Northampton, and on the River Nene near Billing Aquadrome.
Yellow weather warnings for ice and snow were issued for laces across Scotland, northern England, Northern Ireland and parts of north Wales. Further into the week and towards the New Year, conditions will remain cold with sunshine and the possibility of wintry showers, Met Office experts said.