Storm Babet – live: Met Office ice warnings issued as flooding could last days

Grandmother, 83, among those killed as Storm Babet causes widespread flooding

Storm Babet: Plane skids off runway at Leeds Bradford Airport amid extreme weather

New flood warnings are expected to last into next week, the Environment Agency has said, after the torrential rain brought by Storm Babet saw hundreds of properties submerged in water.

Maureen Gilbert, an 83-year-old grandmother who died trying to flee her flooded home in Derbyshire, was confirmed on Sunday to be one of as many as seven people killed during weather-related indicents since Storm Babet made landfall.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued further overnight warnings for ice, which will remain in force in Scotland and northern England until 9am on Monday.

In England, where more than 1,250 properties have been flooded, Nottinghamshire County Council urged residents in 500 homes to evacuate as it declared a major incident in Retford due to high water levels along the River Idle.

The Environment Agency said more flood warnings are expected for some of the worst affected areas into next week – despite severe flood warnings, meaning risk of death or serious injury, being lifted.

Key Points

• Flooding could last until next week, Environment Agency says
• New ice warnings issued by Met Office
• Housebound grandmother died trying to flee flooded home
• Storm Babet death toll rises to seven

[22 October 2023 09:05 · Matt Mathers]

Watch: Devastating flooding in Derbyshire village captured in drone footage

Dramatic drone footage shows the devastating damage caused by Storm Babet in a Derbyshire village, Ollie Browning reports.

The streets of Sandiacre, which has a population of around 9,000, are seen submerged in flood water, after being battered by rain on Friday 20 October.

Derbyshire Fire Service urged people to avoid the area and stay out of flood waters, as 59 people and 12 animals were rescued from flooded homes in neighbouring Stapleford.

More than 260 flood warnings were still in place on Saturday, including three indicating a risk to life around the River Derwent in Derbyshire.

Watch the clip here:

[22 October 2023 08:50 · Matt Mathers]

Clean-up operation begins in Scotland

Weather warnings associated with Storm Babet have expired but people in the worst-hit areas of Scotland face a lengthy clean-up after substantial downpours led to widespread flooding.

A number of flood warnings remain in place around Scotland, but more of these are expected to be removed later on Sunday.

The Scottish government’s Resilience Room met to discuss the “exceptional” levels of rain that had fallen in parts of Scotland during the weekend.

The meeting, chaired by justice secretary Angela Constance, heard parts of Scotland were still in the midst of dealing with the severe flooding caused by Storm Babet while some rivers remain at hazardous levels.

Ms Constance said: “Storm Babet’s exceptional level of rain has severely impacted parts of Scotland. Tragically, the storm has led to lives being lost and I send my sincere condolences to the families affected.

“The storm has caused significant damage and while flooding is still occurring, it is not expected to be as serious as over the last 24 hours. The impact, however, will be felt in communities for some time to come.

“While many local authorities are still responding to the immediate impacts of the storm, thoughts are now turning to recovery. Over the coming days and weeks, we will stay in close contact with local authorities to support the people and businesses affected.”

File photo: People are rescued from their flooded homes (PA Wire)

[22 October 2023 08:36 · Matt Mathers]

Pinned post: Flooding to last until Tuesday - Environment Agency

The Environment Agency has warned that flooding from major rivers could continue until Tuesday, amid widespread disruption caused by Storm Babet which is posing a “risk to life” in some areas.

The Environment Agency (EA) said three severe flood warnings were in place around the River Derwent in Derbyshire, meaning deep and fast-flowing water carries a significant risk of death or serious injury, as well as serious disruption to local communities.

Derby City Council said they are seeing record-breaking water levels in the River Derwent and warned that cleaning up after the floods could take several days.

Full report:

[22 October 2023 08:21 · Matt Mathers]

Danger to life flood warnings still in force

Although the worst of Storm Babet has now passed, three “danger to life” flood warnings remain in place in Derbyshire after the death toll from floods caused by Storm Babet rose to six.

The most serious alerts are in force along the Derwent river at Derby City Water Treatment Works, Little Chester, Eastgate, Cattle Market and Racecourse Park at Chaddesden.

Some 229 less serious flood warnings are in force across England.

A man pulls a boy on a body board through flood water in the Pentagon area of Derby (Getty Images)

[22 October 2023 08:15 · Tara Cobham]

‘Small handful’ of homes still without power Sunday

A “small handful” of homes will still be without power on Sunday after around 100,000 customers were affected by power cuts due to Storm Babet, the Energy Network Association (ENA) said.

Ross Easton from the ENA said: “99 per cent of customers have been reconnected.

“With the exception of a small handful of homes where access remains challenging, all customers will be reconnected tonight.

“We’d like to thank customers for their patience and our engineering and customer service teams for their hard work.”

[22 October 2023 07:48 · Tara Cobham]

North Sea workers airlifted off rig during storm

More than half the staff manning a North Sea drilling platform have been airlifted to other sites after several of its anchors came loose during Storm Babet.

Coastguard helicopters were called upon to move 45 non-essential workers from the Stena Spey to neighbouring platforms and to Sumburgh on the Shetland Islands on Saturday due to the incident.

The rig is located around 146 miles east of Aberdeen.

Stena Drilling said four out of eight anchors became detached from the drilling unit because of the severe weather.

Paul Cargill reports:

[22 October 2023 07:45 · Tara Cobham]

Storm Babet travel chaos continues

For the past 48 hours, large parts of the UK have been battered by Storm Babet, causing travel chaos. The Met Office is promising a drier and brighter day for many. But the travel disruption caused by the storm is set to continue through Sunday, with warnings not to travel on parts of the rail network. Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent of The Independent, has been checking the transport system on Sunday morning.

Network Rail says the routes linking Edinburgh with Inverness and Aberdeen will be badly affected by severe weather all day, and that speed restrictions will apply on other lines. “Major disruption to services in Scotland is expected until the end of the day,” is the message.

Anyone who makes it to Edinburgh may find their problems are only just be beginning, because the East Coast main line is heavily disrupted.

Saturday was chaotic on the line linking Scotland, northeast England and Yorkshire to London, with King's Cross station closed for a time because of the sheer number of passengers trying to make journeys, and many of those people will be back to try again on Sunday – only to find delays and cancellations, including a number caused by staff shortage. LNER tickets for today are valid until Friday.

The main line from Sheffield to London is closed north of Derby because of flooding, and the lines from Derby to both Matlock and Sheffield.

Elsewhere, Skegness is cut off from Nottingham and Norwich is cut off from London due to flooding on the line north from Ipswich.

In Wales, Transport for Wales is warning of flooding on some lines, and is urging passengers not to travel south from Llandudno on the line to Snowdonia.

On the seas: the overnight Northland ferry from Aberdeen, Orkney and Shetland, which normally sails at 5pm, left 11 hours late and won’t reach Lerwick until 6pm tonight. This evening’s overnight sailing will be at least four hours late.

in the Western Isles, the main problem is residual disruption from Friday and Saturday on Caledonian MacBrayne ferries. The company had planned an additional pair of sailings between Ullapool and Stornaway to clear traffic from previous cancellations, but this has now been cancelled due to a technical issue with the vessels sewage system. And the first sailing from Tarbert to Uig is cancelled.

On the Channel, DFDS Ferries says “all services are currently operating with delays due to strong winds in the Channel”. The advice is to check-in as normal and you will be put on the first available sailing to Calais and Dunkirk.

Leeds Bradford airport was closed for 24 hours on Friday and Saturday, and knock-on disruption is continuing. Some planes overnight arrived at Leeds Bradford many hours late, and consequently there are further delays for departures today.

[22 October 2023 07:00 · Matt Mathers]

Inside the Scottish town evacuated as Storm Babet threatens record rainfall

Hundreds of Scots have been told to evacuate their homes amid warnings Storm Babet could pose a “danger to life”.

Residents of 335 homes in Brechin, Scotland, were asked to leave for “their own safety” during Storm Babet, which is battering parts of the UK on Thursday.

Alexander Butler reports:

[22 October 2023 06:00 · Matt Mathers]

ICYMI: Body found after woman, 57, swept into Angus river

The body of a 57-year-old woman has been recovered from a river in Angus, where a red weather alert is in force, Police Scotland said.

The discovery made as Storm Babet bore down on the country, bringing high winds and “unprecedented” volumes of rain, forcing a town to be evacuated.

Jane Dalton reports:

[22 October 2023 05:00 · Matt Mathers]

ICYMI: Four people trapped on car roof amid Storm Babet floods rescued by Nottingham fire service

Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) helped four people trapped on car roof after floods to safety on Thursday 19 October as Storm Babet engulfed the Midlands.

On Friday, an amber weather warning for rain was in place for some parts of northern England including Yorkshire and Manchester, as well as some of the Midlands, including Nottingham.

Rescues efforts have been extended as three people have died and hundreds of homes have been flooded during Storm Babet.

Via social media platform X, NFRS warned people not to put their lives and those of the fire services at risk by attempting to drive through flood water.

Watch part of the rescue here: