Live Gloucestershire flooding and road closures as river levels rise days after Storm Babet

Double-fatal M4 crash in Wiltshire linked to Storm Babet

Two women died after a five-vehicle crash on the M4 on Friday[1] which is believed to have been weather-related. Four cars and an HGV were involved in the crash on the eastbound carriageway between junction 17 for Chippenham and junction 18 for Bath. A number of other deaths have been linked to Storm Babet

The death toll rose on Monday as police recovered the body of a man after reports that a person was trapped in a vehicle in floodwater near Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, on Friday. Police Scotland said that formal identification is still to take place, however next of kin have been informed. On Saturday, 83-year-old Maureen Gilbert was found dead in her flooded home in Tapton Terrace, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

Mrs Gilbert's neighbours said five feet of water had engulfed the inside of their properties "within minutes" of the River Rother bursting its banks. Wendy Taylor, 57, died after being swept into the Water of Lee, Glen Esk, on Thursday. Mrs Taylor, who was described as "the beloved wife, best friend and soulmate in life to George, mother to James, Sally and Susanna and Granny to India and George", was said to be "a ray of sunshine for everyone who was fortunate enough to know her" in a tribute issued through Police Scotland.

A 56-year-old driver, John Gillan, died when a tree fell on his van near Forfar in Angus on Thursday and a man in his 60s died after getting caught in fast-flowing floodwater in the town of Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, on Friday.

Mr Gillan's family said he was a loving husband, dad, grandad and son

References

1. ^ M4 on Friday (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)