UK floods latest: Major travel disruption as Storm Bert leaves more than 150 flood warnings in place
More than 150 flood warnings remain in place for England and Wales and travel issues are set to continue
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Your support makes all the difference.Storm Bert will continue to cause travel disruptions today due to several rail lines being shut following “devastating” flooding over the weekend.
Rail passengers have been urged not to travel between Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and Stansted Airport as major disruption is expected until 2pm.
Great Western Railway, which runs services between London and the West, has been forced to suspend many of its journeys telling passengers to “not attempt to travel on any routes.”
At least five deaths have been reported in England and Wales since Storm Bert hit as the heavy rainfall and thawed snow put more than 400 areas in the UK at risk of flooding. A body was found on Sunday in the search for a 75-year-old man missing in the River Conwy, another man in his 60s died after a tree fell on his car on the A34 near Winchester, Hampshire. Three others have died in fatal motor-related incidents.
The second named storm of the season brought nearly a month’s worth of rainfall in less than 48 hours, with winds of up to 82mph recorded, causing chaos for those travelling by road and rail. More than 150 flood alerts remain in place for England and Wales and travel issues are set to continue into the new week.
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Welsh first minister says floods have been ‘absolutely devastating’
Welsh first minister Eluned Morgan said the flood has been “absolutely devastating” as Storm Bert is forecast to continue causing disruption.
“I think this is the second time that many of those have suffered as a result of the storm,” she said.
“There’s been huge investments since the last storm hit, so we’ve managed to protect lots more properties than last time.
“But obviously this is absolutely devastating just before Christmas for those people who have been impacted.”
Every storm name for 2024/25 revealed as Storm Bert batters UK
The Met Office has already confirmed the storm names to be used across 2024 and 2025 – as the UK is hit by Storm Bert.
The new storms list – first launched in 2015 – for each year generally runs from early September until late August the following year, coinciding with the beginning of autumn.
James, Lewis and Mavis are all included in the new list in honour of figures from the Met Office’s 170-year history.
Every storm name for 2024/25 revealed as Storm Bert hits UK
James, Lewis and Mavis are all included on the new list
Backlog of 120 emergency calls as South Wales hit by flooding
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service faced a backlog of 120 emergency calls at the peak of the major incident that was declared as a result of the flooding.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s chief fire officer Fin Monahan told a press conference in Pontypridd that the major incident was declared earlier on Sunday based on the number of calls they were getting and the number of assets they were distributing out on the ground.
He said at the peak there was “120 calls stacked up”, adding: “As soon as we declared the major incident, we were in a position that we were then able to offload those calls onto other neighbouring fire and rescue services who then helped us deal with the call flow.
“We had about 75 per cent of our available assets out on the ground and we’ve had people out on the ground there doing incredible work.”
He said it had been a “very busy morning”, but the rainfall was forecast to subside on Sunday afternoon.
Drivers warned just 30cm of floodwater is enough to float your car
The Environment Agency has warned that “just 30cm of water is enough to float your car”, as it urged motorists not to drive through floodwaters.
More than 400 areas are at risk of flooding in Scotland, England and Wales.
Met Office warns rivers will continue to rise even after rain has passed
While the rain is set to subside throughout the evening, the Met Office has warned that river levels will continue to rise even after the rain has passed.
Met Office warnings ‘could be amended at short notice'
Met Office chief meteorologist Andy Page has warned that the forecaster could make rapid changes to weather alerts as Storm Bert continues to batter the UK.
“Impacts from Storm Bert will continue to cause disruption as we go through today, and multiple warnings are in place for wind and rain,” he said.
“While the risk of any snowfall has now diminished, rainfall will affect much of the UK today, in particular some southwestern parts of England and South Wales, but the heaviest rain will ease from these areas through the day.
“The strong southerly winds continue today and warnings are in place for central, southern and eastern England, Northern Ireland and western Scotland where gusts could peak at 60 mph and could even reach more than 70 mph along some exposed coasts.
“Warnings could still be amended, possibly at short notice, so it is important people keep up to date with the very latest forecast.”
Bridge damaged during Storm Dennis now completely washed away
An entire bridge under construction after being damaged four years ago during Storm Dennis was washed away during widespread floods in Wales on Saturday night.
The Abercynon Feeder Pipe Footbridge over the River Taff in South Wales, which was being rebuilt after being substantially damaged during Storm Dennis in 2020, was completely washed away, councillor Andrew Morgan, leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council, said.
“It was completely washed away last night, so the scaffolding, the piers ... everything has completely gone,” Mr Morgan told a press conference on Sunday afternoon.
London attractions and parks closed in strong winds
As windy conditions persist, some attractions have been closed.
Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland is closed on Sunday and all of London’s Royal Parks, including Greenwich Park and Primrose Hill, are shut.
GoFundMe page set up for flood victims in south Wales
A local MP has set up a GoFundMe page to help people affected by the flooding in south Wales, where hundreds of properties have been submerged.
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