Storm Bert causes chaos as Britain hit by widespread flooding with motorists left stranded
Storm Bert has caused mass disruption with flooding and power cuts impacting Britons across the country.
The second named storm of the season has brought more than 80 per cent of November’s average monthly rainfall in less than 48 hours, with more than 100 flood warnings still in place in England, Scotland and Wales.
A major incident has been declared in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area of South Wales, which has been one of the worst-hit areas with 80 per cent of a month’s rain falling in less than 48 hours.
Between two and three hundred properties have been affected by flooding in the area, while the Environment Agency (EA) estimates 80 properties in England have flooded so far.
Roads have also seen massive disruption, with the M48 Severn Bridge between Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire closed in both directions due to strong winds. National Highways has advised motorists to use the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.
Rail lines have also been affected, with the Conwy Valley line, which runs from Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and the Heart of Wales lines, Swansea to Shropshire, set to be closed for the rest of the evening.
Newcastle Airport faced brief disruption as snow covered its runway, while tens of thousands of residents across the UK were left without power. In North Wales, a dramatic rescue operation saw five adults and five children saved from a house in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog following a landslide on Saturday.
A hill walker was forced to spend the night in a collapsed tent in the Highlands before being rescued by Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team.
In Pontypridd, residents were seen bailing water from their front gardens as floodwaters rose perilously high. London’s Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park was forced to close due to safety concerns amid dangerous high winds, with organisers expecting to reopen on Monday.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
- Major incident declared in South Wales as Storm Bert continues to wreak havoc
- Met Office issues fresh weather update as Britain hit with 385 flood warnings after 10 rescued from landslide
- ‘Storm Bert is not a scary name but of a scary storm!’ Nathan Rao shares weather fears
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Significant river and surface water flooding is possible in parts of England on Sunday, especially in the South West, the West Midlands, and the Calder Valley in the North of England due to heavy rain and recent snowmelt.
“Minor impacts are possible more widely across England, which may continue in places until Tuesday. Environment Agency teams are out on the ground, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding and will support local authorities in their response.”
People are being told to stay away from swollen rivers and urged not to drive through flood water. West Midlands Fire Service said its crews rescued a person trapped in a car stranded in floodwater in Walsall on Sunday morning.
The storm is continuing to cause disruption across the UK this afternoon and wind warnings remain in place with gusts of up to 70mph forecast for exposed areas.
Greater Anglia, which operates trains from London Liverpool Street to Stanstead Airport, cancelled 52 services on Sunday afternoon as fallen trees damaged the railway’s overhead electric wires.
Three men died on the roads during Storm Bert on Saturday, including a man in his 60s who was killed after a tree fell on a car on the A34 near Winchester.
A 34-year-old man died in a single-vehicle collision in Shipley, West Yorkshire, while a man in his 40s died in a crash on the A45 near Flore, Northamptonshire. It is unclear if the incidents were related to Storm Bert.