Storm Ciara hammers UK with hurricaneforce winds and floods
Hurricane-force winds and flooding have caused severe disruption across much of Britain, including damage to hundreds of properties and the cancellation of trains, flights and ferries.
Storm Ciara brought heavy rain and winds of more than 90mph, knocking out power to homes in some areas. The upheaval is likely to last into the start of the working week and there is more bad weather to come.
There is a possibility of blizzards in Northern Ireland and Scotland along with 20cm of snow. There is also a snow and ice warning in place for north-west England for Monday and Tuesday as temperatures drop sharply.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: ““It’s going to stay very unsettled. We have got colder air coming through the UK and will be feeling a real drop in temperatures.”
Communities in the north of England that have suffered the brunt of flooding in recent years were hit again on Sunday, including Appleby in Cumbria, Bury in Greater Manchester and parts of West Yorkshire. Sirens were sounded early on in the market towns of Todmorden and Hebden Bridge in the Calder Valley, where high street shops were under water within hours.
By Sunday evening more than 220 flood warnings remained in place across England, largely in the north and south-west. No trains were running on the west coast mainline between Manchester and Scotland and severely reduced services were running on many other routes.
A major incident was declared in Lancashire, where North West Fire Control received 192 reports of flooding in Blackpool, Whalley, Longton and Rossendale.
In West Yorkshire, the fire service said it attended 106 incidents between 8am and 2.15pm and received 671 emergency calls about flooding in Calder Valley, Kirklees, Bradford and Leeds.
People in Calder Valley told of cars being swept away and water engulfing defences that had been built up at a cost of tens of millions of pounds since flooding in Christmas 2015.
“When we got up this morning it was evidently flooding from eight to 9am but within an hour or two the river was about to breach its banks and abandoned cars were being swept away,” said Ben Myers, an author in the Calderdale town of Mytholmroyd who has written about the impact of flooding.
“It’s really quite bad now and it looks certain that scores of businesses will have to shut here and in Hebden. So much was spent and so many promises were made in the past but it feels like there will have to be another rethink.”
In Appleby, east Cumbria, firefighters rescued a man from a steep riverbank above the flooded River Eden. In Ramsbottom and Bury in Greater Manchester, residents were evacuated from their homes after the River Irwell burst its banks.
In Wales, gusts of 93mph were recorded in Aberdaron, a village at the tip of the Llyn Peninsula, and the wooden Miners’ Bridge in Betws-y-Coed was washed away by the storm.
Amanda Owen, a shepherd who lives in Swaledale on one of the highest and most remote hill farms in England, posted footage that showed a livestock trailer being swept five miles downstream by what she described as “a flood of biblical proportions”.
In Scotland, 62 flood warnings remained place on Sunday evening, from Orkney in the north-east right down to the English frontier. Part of a cafe and guest house collapsed into a river in Hawick in the Borders. Footage and pictures posted on social media showed a wall of the building collapsing into the fast-flowing River Teviot leaving the rooms inside exposed.
Three people were injured after part of a pub roof collapsed in Perth, and there was flooding in the Whitesands area of Dumfries after the River Nith burst its banks.
Residents of the Lincolnshire town of Burgh le Marsh were alarmed when the top of a historic windmill blew off, sending pieces over the roofs of nearby homes. An emergency alert had been issued earlier at Dobson’s Mill – a working tower windmill that also houses the town’s heritage centre – where high winds took hold of the sails.
In the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, 67,300 properties suffered blackouts as the storm raged. By 7.30pm on Sunday, Northern PowerGrid, the energy supplier, had restored power to around 55,600 customers. The majority of disruption was caused by the wind and associated debris affecting its overhead network, the firm said.
Dozens of domestic and international flights were cancelled and train companies urged passengers not to travel. At Heathrow plane spotters chronicled flights aborting landings and struggling to remain steady as they approached – airlines told the Guardian that pilots had experienced challenges.
Ten rail companies sent out “do not travel” warnings and nearly 20 others told passengers to expect delays as strong winds were expected to damage electrical wires and clutter train tracks with broken tree limbs and other debris. At least two flying trampolines hit train tracks in Kent and Sussex, causing further delays.
On the roads, Bedfordshire fire service was involved in rescuing a driver who had been trapped for an hour after a tree fell on his car. The Humber Bridge near Hull in northern England restricted traffic due to the high winds, banning high-sided trucks and camper vehicles.
High waves in the Irish Sea forced ferry companies to cancel several trips, while conditions also caused the Pride of Hull, a P&O ferry arriving from Rotterdam, to turn back after attempting to dock in Hull.
Scotland’s transport secretary, Michael Matheson, said: “The Met Office is telling us that we are facing a prolonged period of adverse weather, with Storm Ciara bringing strong winds and rain to most of Scotland this weekend.
We’re also being told to expect snow and high winds throughout Monday and on Tuesday morning, so there is the potential for significant disruption on the trunk road network, as well as other modes of transport.”
Events cancelled due to the weather conditions included a 10km run in London that was expected to draw 25,000 runners, a Premier League clash between Manchester City and West Ham, as well as six scheduled matches in the FA Women’s Super League.
In Ireland, the opening ceremony of Galway’s year as European Capital of Culture, due to take place on Saturday evening, was cancelled due to bad weather.
The shadow environment secretary, Luke Pollard, urged the government to do more to protect communities from the ever more frequent floods.
“The reality of the climate crisis is that more extreme weather will happen more often and with devastating consequences,” he said.
“Insufficient funds are being spent on protecting the most vulnerable communities from flooding and the consequences of extreme weather. Ministers must urgently fund the schemes that these communities say they need as well as put in place longerterm flood prevention strategies with appropriate bodies to prevent flooding and protect homes.”