Hundreds evacuated & bridges WASHED AWAY as ‘danger to life’ weather sees major incident declared

Yellow weather warning for south west England in place til 9am

A yellow warning of rain for south-west England applies from 3pm on Thursday until 9am on Friday while one is already in force in Wales and lasts until 3pm on Friday.

Cumbria Police warned some roads may be impassable, while at around 6am on Thursday South Lakes police tweeted the A591 Rydal to Grasmere road was not passable “due to the depth of flood waters in several locations” and urged people not to take unnecessary risks and only to travel if they really need to.

Scotland’s transport minister Graeme Dey said: “The conditions could potentially bring disruption to the trunk road and rail networks, so it’s important people plan their journeys before they set off.

“Motorists should make sure their routes are available, follow travel advice from Police Scotland and drive to the conditions.”

Evacuation halted as residents told to return home

An evacuation of homes has been halted with residents advised they are safe to return and a rest centre closed.

The major incident was stood down after Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) indicated the River Teviot reached a peak of 2.9m at 7.30pm and is now expected to steadily recede.

Schools and a health centre in the town were closed earlier along with schools in Peebles which was also hit by flooding as the River Tweed burst its banks.

The Scottish Borders Council said: “The evacuation of residents has now ceased and members of the public are being advised that they are safe to return to their homes.”

Cross border rail line closed as bridges ‘washed away’ from flooding

A cross-border rail line remains closed after two road bridges were “washed away” amid torrential rain.

Network Rail Scotland said the bridges spanned the River Annan, north of the railway with trains unable to pass over a viaduct, closing the Dumfries to Carlisle line.

It tweeted: “Two road bridges have been washed away on the river Annan, north of the railway.

“We’re unable to allow trains to pass over the Annan Viaduct pending a daylight safety inspection.

“The line between Dumfries and Carlisle will remain closed until further notice.”

The incident happened after a major incident was declared in Hawick in the Scottish Borders with up to 500 properties feared to be at risk of flooding.

Explained: What is flooding and why does it happen?

When there’s too much water, or if the water’s in the wrong place, it causes a problem that’s called flooding.

In the UK, people are sometimes forced out of their homes when lots of rain has fallen in a short space of time and caused a flood.

There are many different types of flooding, and some of the most common ones are:

• Coastal flooding
• River flooding
• Groundwater flooding
• Flash floods

Because the UK gets a lot of rain and sometimes it’s really heavy, normally the soil and plants act like a giant sponge. However, sometimes the sponge effect doesn’t work because the ground is already very wet.

When that happens, all the rain tries to get into the river at the same time. If the river isn’t big enough to handle the water there will be a flood.

‘Autumn is very much with us’

Met Office meteorologist Luke Miall said: “Autumn is very much with us across the UK through this week, turning a lot more unsettled over the next few days.

Residents and visitors and especially holidaymakers in the Lake District have been urged to stay alert and check their flood risk.

You can do so by signing up for free flood warnings on the Gov.uk website and via the @EnvAgency on Twitter.

FOOT of downpours expected in coming days

Brits have been battered by torrential rain with nearly a FOOT of downpours expected in the coming days as danger-to-life floods grip parts of the country.

A total of five weather warnings are in place today – two of which are categorised as “severe.”

Persistent, heavy rain has led to flooding and disruption, and a danger to life warning has been issued as Brits are warned to stay away from fast-flowing or deep floodwater.

Trains and bus services are expected to be delayed and cancelled – while some communities will be cut off by the floodwater.

Rainfall much higher than the average

Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said: “The rainfall total is much higher than the average rainfall for this time of year, definitely, and in general, for any time of year it’s a lot of rainfall in a short period of time.”

Handful of properties flooded

Stewart Mounsey, the Environment Agency’s flood risk manager for Cumbria, said: “Sadly we are seeing some properties being flooded, it’s only a handful at the moment, but that’s obviously devastating for those involved.

“We’re still gathering the number of those and locations.”

Pictures on social media show chaos

People have been taking to social media to show the submerged roads in Cumbria, with one image showing cars stuck at Windermere School.

A video by flood risk analyst Dr Ed Henderson also showed terrible driving conditions and submerged roads yesterday in Borrowdale.

Crews helping vehicles stuck in floodwater

Brian Steadman, Cumbria’s deputy chief fire officer has said: “DON’T enter flood water it’s not only your life you are gambling with”.

Crews were already having to help vehicles stuck in floodwater on Thursday, said Mr Steadman.

The rain is expected to continue on Friday but should ease slightly in the North West.

In deep waters

Public transport could be shut down in some areas while the Met Office also warns there is a chance “that some communities will become cut off” entirely by the water levels.

Two flood warnings and 15 flood alerts are in place for England, while Scotland has one and four in place respectively.

Six inches (160mm) will fall in parts today, and up to eight inches (200mm) is expected on Friday.

That amounts to as much as a month’s worth of rain in under 24 hours.

Pictured: Lake District flooding

Persistent, heavy rain has led to flooding and disruption, and a danger to life warning has been issued as Brits are warned to stay away from fast-flowing or deep floodwater.

Nearly 300mm is expected to fall in amber warning areas across some of the Cumbrian fells.

Snow in October?!

Snow remains a risk until next Thursday – when heavy rain and high winds move in once again.

WX weather charts show a rise in the likelihood of snow across parts of Scotland on November 3.

Holidaymakers in Lake District urged to stay alert

Ben Lukey, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said they are: “working with our partners in local resilience forums, Environment Agency teams have been out on the ground clearing waste grilles and screens, and stand ready to operate flood defences if needed.

“They are also ready to support local authorities in their response to surface water flooding.

“We are urging residents and visitors, especially holidaymakers in the Lake District, to stay alert and check their flood risk by signing up for free flood warnings on the Gov.uk website and via @EnvAgency on Twitter, which offer the latest updates.”

UK flooding pictured

The Met Office said there could be a “danger to life from fast-flowing or deep floodwater” in areas like Dumfries and Galloway in south-west Scotland.

The amber alerts also warn of potential damage to homes and businesses from flooding, dangerous driving conditions and travel disruption.

Communities could be cut off by flooded roads and face power cuts, according to the service.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist gives warning

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen, said “The rain is likely to become more showery and less persistent, albeit still heavy at times, during Thursday night and perhaps Friday morning, with a separate warning still in force at that time.

“These amounts of rainfall present a real threat of flooding and people should keep a close eye on flood warnings from the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and SEPA.

Explained: What does life-threatening flooding mean?

It means persistent, heavy rain leading to flooding and disruption.

People could also expect:

• Homes and businesses flooded and damage to some buildings
• Danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater
• Delays or cancellations to train and bus services
• Spray and flooding leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
• Some communities cut off by flooded roads
• Power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses

‘A serious risk to the railway’

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland route director, said: “Extreme rainfall can pose a serious risk to the railway, causing landslips or damaging our infrastructure and bridges.

“The safety of our passengers and colleagues is our main priority during periods of poor weather, and slowing services down and running fewer trains will help us manage these conditions for everyone.”

‘The power of the river shouldn’t be underestimated’

Rivers in Cumbria burst their banks after torrential downpours today.

Cockermouth resident Joseph Hil witnesses the River Cocker bursting its banks.

According to Metro, he said: “I was shocked at the speed the river had risen since the night before, and very concerned as our barn that we’re renovating is entirely flooded and unreachable to assess any damage.

“The power of the river shouldn’t be underestimated. Everything was ok until it suddenly wasn’t.

“The flood defences were working well but once they failed everything was underwater in a matter of minutes.”

‘Life threatening flooding’

The Met Office has warned of life-threatening flooding as it issued amber weather warnings for rain in parts of England and Scotland.

Glasgow – as the city prepares for the COP26 climate summit – has been deluged by heavy rain, leaving cars stranded in roads.

Meanwhile Cumbria is being lashed with “persistent and heavy rain”, which is not likely to ease until tonight, the service said.

Gale force winds expected this week

Gale force winds will accompany the deluge causing half-term chaos for families across the UK – though temperatures will remain mild for the time of year.

And the showers and high winds will continue into the weekend, with the wet weather coming to end on Sunday night.

But while early next week may provide some respite, WX weather charts show a rise in the likelihood of snow across parts of Scotland on November 3.

Four people rescued from flooded premises in Dumfries

Four people were rescued from a premises affected by the flooding on Whitesands in Dumfries, say Police Scotland.

A Fire and Rescue Service boat was launched to take the individuals to safety and all were safe and well.

Police Scotland tweeted: “Multi agency #partnershipworking tonight between #Dumfries Community Officers & @scotfire_DG as 4 adults were rescued from a flooded premises on #Whitesands in #Dumfries by a Fire and Rescue Service boat.

“All safe and well.”

Friday morning ‘to get off to a wet start’ says Met Office

Torrential rain and flood warnings will continue into Friday morning.

It comes after parts of north west England and Southern Scotland saw a deluge of rainfall – with parts of Cumbria seeing over 350mm in 38 hours.

Here, thye Met Office have tweeted a video showing how the rain will cover a large part of the UK by 8am on Friday morning.