UK storm: Britain braced for more weather chaos
Thousands of properties are still without power and train lines suffer continued disruption. But as the weather looks set to worsen, some residents are complaining of being charged for sandbags.
– National Rail advises commuters to check their route before travelling, with many lines reporting delays and cancellations
– Over 60,000 people are still without power after heavy storms on Wedesday night
– Sixteen severe flood warnings remain in place for Berkshire, Surrey and Somerset
– The Met Office is warning of more high winds of 80mph from Friday and into the weekend
Winds of up to 108mph stopped trains in their tracks, blew roofs off stations and closed major transport links on a dramatic day for Britain’s wild weather.
The night of savage storms left one man dead and tens of thousands without power – and forecasters say there is more stormy weather on the way.
Thursday is expected to be quieter, but warnings are already in place for further storms on Friday and into the weekend.
The floods which have wreaked havoc on thousands of homes and properties were an “almost unparalleled” natural crisis, said army chief Major General Patrick Sanders, as hundreds of troops continue to help residents defend their properties from ever-rising waters.
Climate change
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told Channel 4 News on Thursday that the “very violent and volatile weather is related to climate change”.
“That is widely accepted by meteorologists,” he said. “There is a debate within the Conservative party, which I will leave to the Conservative party, there are some Conservatives who still deny that climate change exists – I think they’ wrong and by the way so does the majority of scientific opinion around the world.”
As the flood relief effort continues, David Cameron insisted councils should not be charging residents in flood-hit areas for sandbags, and that central government would cover costs. He spoke out after complaints that some councils were charging residents: Christchurch Borough Council in Dorset had reportedly been asking locals to pay £30 for a “flood pack” of four standard sandbags.
In answer to an urgent question in the House of Commons, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said that £61m would be put towards the relief effort, and said: “there is no doubt that the transport network has taken a severe battering over the past week.”
He told MPs that railway lines in Wales to Fishguard and Aberystwyth were closed due to falling trees. The east coast railway line is now open, as is most of the west coast mainline. Trains between Newcastle and the Scottish borders will be restricted to 80mph until midday as work continues to repair overhead line damage north of York.
Weather casualties
Wiltshire Police said a man in his 70s died in a suspected electrocution while attempting to move a tree which brought down power cables near Chippenham.
A 33-year-old man has also died in a car crash in Macclesfield. Police found a tree lying on part of the road
A lorry driver was also taken to hospital after high winds blew over his vehicle in Bristol, while another man received treatment after becoming trapped under a fallen tree in Chivenor, Barnstaple, Devon.
Severe flood warnings remain in place in Berkshire, Surrey and Somerset, where severe flooding has caused hundreds of homes to be evacuated.
A Blackpool selfie in the storm
Power cuts
The Energy Networks Association (ENA), which represents energy companies in the UK, said about 145,000 homes and businesses were without power across the country on Wednesday night.
Some 10,000 customers were affected in the north west, over 50,000 in mid and north Wales, 10,000 in Cheshire, 13,000 in the West Midlands and 19,000 in the south west.
Engineers were continuing to try and restore power to the remaining properties that were cut off.
Toby Willison, programme director at the Environment Agency (EA), said a number of rivers in the south east and south west, including areas of the Thames, were at their highest recorded levels.
“This is an exceptional event, it was the highest rainfall in January since 1776 and we think it is likely December, January and February will be the highest for 250 years,” he said.
Read more on FactCheck: PM says money is ‘no object’ on flood relief – is he correct?
Residents in Datchet opt for a boat, instead of the car.
A new Cabinet committee on flood recovery will also meet on Thursday, replacing a scheduled meeting of the full Cabinet.
David Cameron, who has chaired a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergencies committee, has promised that “money is no object” in offering relief to those affected by the floods. But Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said there would be “careful consideration” before money is spent on the larger rebuilding exercise after water levels recede.
Batten down in Burrowbridge
Builder Dave Donaldson lives in Burrowbridge, south west England. And while his wife and children have been re-housed due to the flooding, he is sticking it out at home to try and stop looters from getting their hands on his family property.
He has his dog Oscar for company and has moved all the furniture on to wooden pallets in case the family home floods even more.
Much of his house is already knee dip in water, and he has moved much of the furniture upstairs.