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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River Taff rises to record levels
Record river levels were recorded on the River Taff in Wales on Saturday Night.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council leader Andrew Morgan said the river was 23mm higher than it was during Storm Dennis in 2020 at Aberdare monitoring station, which was “considerably higher than previous records” at the time.
Local MP Sir Chris Bryant has since said the river was 53cm higher in Rhondda than it was during Storm Dennis in February 2020.
Water levels on street in flood-hit Pontypridd drop considerably
The water levels on Sion Street, Pontypridd, where several homes were flooded during Storm Bert, have dropped considerably.
The fire service has been working to pump water off street and back into the river.
One car, which was partly underwater, is no longer submerged.
‘Trauma and upset’ caused by ‘exceptionally difficult’ weekend due to Storm Bert, says Welsh government
A Welsh government spokesperson said the weekend has been “exceptionally difficult and disruptive” due to Storm Bert and the “trauma and upset this causes should never be underestimated”.
The spokesperson added: “Given the scale of the impact, it will be vital that people continue to take extra care over the coming days and follow official advice. As the focus moves to recovery, it is important that those affected receive ongoing support and we will play our part alongside our partners in delivering that.
“Despite the significant impacts, it appears that flood defences played a role in protecting many homes and businesses, and we will continue our investment programme to make communities even more resilient to severe weather events in future.”
Wales’s deputy first minister visits flood-hit Pontypridd and No 10 also in touch
Wales’s deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies visited Pontypridd today, and the prime minister’s office has been in touch, the leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council said.
Councillor Andrew Morgan told a press conference this afternoon: “So first of all, the deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies was here this morning, I met with him to have conversations around the scale of the impact and what’s going on.”
He added that there has already been conversations with the Welsh Government, the First Minister has been in touch on Sunday afternoon, and he has had contact from the prime minister’s office “seeking again for an update and asking what assistance we may need”.
Emergency services at scene of scaffolding collapse in London
South Wales council leader warns ‘clearly live are at risk’ due to flooding
A South Wales council leader has warned “clearly live are at risk” due to the flooding.
Asked at a press conference if he believes lives are at risk, Councillor Andrew Morgan, leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council, said: “Well, absolutely, you know, when you got a river flooding in people’s houses, and we’re asking the fire service to rescue people by boat, then clearly lives are at risk.”
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s chief fire officer Fin Monahan said that they have had messages from all over the UK with offers of assistance and they have taken some of the offers up.
Person rescued from car stranded by floodwaters in Walsall
West Midlands Fire Service has said its crews rescued a person trapped in a car stranded in floodwater in Walsall on Sunday morning.
Birmingham-Shrewsbury rail line reopens after flooding
Severe flooding had earlier blocked railway lines between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury on Sunday morning – but all lines have now reopened.
Impact of flooding ‘worse than Storm Dennis’, Welsh council says
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, South Wales Fire and Rescue, Natural Resources Wales and South Wales Police have declared a major incident for the borough.
The council said “significant” flooding has taken place with the “impact looking to be more significant than the severe impact experienced during Storm Dennis” in 2020.
Rest centres have been set up for residents impacted at Pontypridd Library, Ystrad Sports Centre, Sobell Leisure Centre and Cynon Valley Indoor Bowls Centre.
Hundreds of properties flooded in south Wales
Hundreds of properties have been flooded in south Wales.
At a press conference in the Rhondda Valley, council leader Andrew Morgan said two to three hundred properties have been affected by flooding.
He said the buildings are a mixture of residential and commercial properties.
Mr Morgan told the press conference the weather was worse than forecast.
“I am amazed that it was only a yellow weather warning issued,” he said. “We absolutely thought on Saturday ... we were preparing for the possibility of an amber warning.
“It didn’t come but we took the decision ourselves to step up our resources and have depots open and crews in.”
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