Storm Babet floods could last for days – officialson October 23, 2023 at 7:01 am

Flooding from Storm Babet could last for days, the Environment Agency has warned, after the UK was lashed with rain and wind over the weekend.

Across England 116 flood warnings remain in place – including in the East Midlands and along the River Severn.

Four people are known to have died in the floods – one in Shropshire, one in Derbyshire and two in Scotland.

On Monday, Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf will visit Brechin, one of the areas worst hit by Storm Babet.

Elsewhere, Nottinghamshire County Council declared a major incident over high water levels along the River Idle.

The agency said more flooding due to heavy rain was possible until Wednesday for parts of England – including around the River Severn – and the body said it expected to have to issue more warnings.

So far, around 1,250 properties in England have been flooded, the agency said.

But, the agency said parts of Yorkshire and the Humber and the East Midlands may see more flooding on Monday.

Katharine Smith, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said teams were on the ground helping local communities in England.

“Temporary defences, including pumps and barriers, have been deployed to minimise the impact of flooding where needed,” she said.

“Flood gates have also been closed in affected areas. We also advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.”

BBC Weather’s Simon King said that while Storm Babet has long gone “the exceptional rain it brought” continues to cause problems, including flooding and high river levels.

“With the week ahead remaining rather unsettled, there’ll be further rain at times,” he said, adding that the risk of flooding remains high in parts of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

Five severe flood warnings were lifted on Sunday evening – two were for the River Idle in the East Midlands and three were for the River Derwent in Derby.

Derby City Council said the River Derwent saw record-breaking water levels over the weekend.

Areas along the River Severn, Britain’s longest river, will be affected in the coming days. The Environment Agency has also warned widespread flooding is probable in parts of the Midlands and the North of England.

While those who have been worst affected by Storm Babet could see a “couple of quieter days”, Met Office spokesman Dave Britton said “there is this pulse of rain moving its way north overnight later on Monday and into Tuesday, but the rest of the week does look like it remains rather unsettled with spells of rain at times”.

Meanwhile, a woman in her 80s, named by her son as Maureen Gilbert, has died in Chesterfield after her home was flooded.

Three other people are confirmed to have died since Storm Babet hit on Thursday – a man in his 60s in Shropshire and two people in Scotland including 57-year-old Wendy Taylor who was swept away by river water.

Ahead of Monday’s scheduled visit to Brechin, where dozens of homes were flooded when the River South Esk burst its banks, Mr Yousaf expressed his condolences and also praised local authorities, volunteers and emergency services for their efforts in “extremely challenging conditions”.

He said: “The local community in Brechin, like others across Scotland, has come together to offer support to all those affected by the floods with Angus Council receiving hundreds of offers of alternative accommodation for those forced to leave their homes.

“The process of assessing the full amount of damage caused in all areas affected by the storm is now under way. This will take some time and we are working closely with local authorities to support the people and businesses affected.”

Experts say climate change makes extreme flooding events more likely because a warming atmosphere increases the chance of intense rainfall.

However, many factors contribute to flooding and it takes time for scientists to calculate how much impact climate change has had on particular weather events – if any.

The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

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