UK weather: ‘Risk to life’ warning as 70mph Storm Bella to batter Britain after flooded homes evacuated on Christmas Eve
A RISK-TO-LIFE warning was today issued as 70mph winds are set to batter England and Wales when Storm Bella hits the UK on Boxing Day.
The warning comes just hours after Brits were forced to evacuate their homes as more than 100 flood warnings were issued across England the day before Christmas.
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The Met Office said that, after a relatively calm Christmas Day, Storm Bella will bring strong winds and more heavy rains.
An Amber weather warning – indicating a threat to life – will be in force from 3pm on December 26.
It will apply to parts of south Wales and across southern England, with gusts expected to reach up to 70mph in coastal areas.
It is the second named storm of the season.
The weather warning comes after thousands Brits – already hit with a tough year after a string of coronavirus lockdowns – were confronted with devastating flooding after a deluge of rain overnight.
Shocking photographs showed towns submerged as the flood waters seeped into homes and businesses in Norfolk – with emergency services declaring a major incident.
The BBC reported the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service received 500 calls for help on Wednesday with 300 just in six hours.
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said they had handled more than 250 flood calls, with several properties inundated and multiple people rescued from their stranded vehicles.
In Nottingham, police said emergency services had been called to a report of a landslide near some homes near a former quarry at 11.40pm on Wednesday.
The force said a “small number” of properties had been evacuated, and police, fire, and ambulance services, along with Mansfield District Council officials, were at the scene at Bank End Close in Mansfield to conduct safety assessments.
Charlotte Taylor, of Topcroft, Norfolk, tweeted pictures of her flooded home – including a ruined box of Christmas crackers – in the early hours of this morning.
“If there is a photo that sums up my Christmas this is it,” she wrote.
“Mum of three all with Covid stuck indoors literally watching the house flood.”
The Environment Agency issued more than 107 flood warnings as of Thursday morning, including across Devon, the West Midlands, and 20 related to the River Severn along the Welsh border.
Other affected areas include Norfolk, Lincolnshire, the East Midlands, and along parts of the Great River Ouse.
A further 164 flood alerts, which warn of possible flooding and urge preparedness, have also been issued.
Eight flood warnings and nine flood alerts are also in place across Wales.
The warnings are concentrated mostly along the south coast, near Cardiff and Tenby, though include one for areas surrounding the River Dee near Wrexham.
After a difficult year, Brits were also faced with flooded homes and a mammoth cleaning up effort the day before Christmas as the floods hit areas of Gloucestershire, Cambridgeshire, and East Anglia.
In Gloucester, a pub that had been closed for several months because of coronavirus lockdown has now had to close again because of flooding.
The Toby Carvery at Over, near Gloucester, had reopened July after the first lockdown but was forced to close again in November.
It has now had to cancel Christmas Day bookings as well as plans to serve takeaways from Boxing Day, when Gloucestershire is set to move into Tier 3.
Also flooded was the nearby Over Farm shop.
FLOODED HOMES
In a video message, Rees Keene, a partner in the business, said: “I’m at the back of the shop and I’ve never seen anything like this.
“We had to close the road ourselves and every time a car drives through it is like a foot waterfall. Happy 2020.”
He added that police were on site to offer assistance.
Gloucestershire residents also took to social media to vent their frustration after the River Severn flooded.
“As if today/ this week wasn’t already full of enough bad news. My hometown is now flooded,” Lauren Wilden wrote on twitter.
Liam Ball added: “Minor flooding on The River Severn this morning at Leighton and Ironbridge.
“Its forecast to rise further through the night and peak sometime tomorrow.”
Patrick Lloyd, 27, from Peterborough, said he woke up to find much of his home had been submerged in water, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
He added that he had to help rescue an elderly neighbour who had become trapped without power.
Mr Lloyd said the 86-year-old woman had eventually been taken to hospital after spending around 50 minutes in the “freezing” floodwater.
“Luckily a bloke driving by saw her and got out and helped us with her,” he said.
“We had to get the fire service out to get her on to a board and we lifted her out for an ambulance
“We were worried about hypothermia, she spent a night in hospital. No idea if she made it or not.”
Alex Burkill, a meteorologist for the Met Office, said: “There’s been a lot of wet weather around.
“We’ve had a heavy rain across much of England and Wales, particularly southern parts of Wales, but also further east.
“Most places in England and Wales have been really wet and we’ve seen strengthening winds too, there have been some gales in exposed parts, so quite unpleasant really.”
Mr Burkill added that the rainfall would cease overnight into Christmas Eve.
“The wet weather we’ve got over us at the moment that’s all going to clear away towards the south-east as we go through the night.
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“So for Christmas Eve we’re going to have lots of fine weather around, with lots of sunshine and a cold northerly flow.”
Forecasts also suggest Britain is set to see the coldest Christmas Day in five years, with some snow expected in parts and ice warnings issued.
Pictures from County Durham this morning showed heavy snowfall, with local temperatures currently at around 3C.
