Officers searching for man trapped in vehicle in floodwater recover body, Police Scotland say

The body of a man has been recovered by officers after reports a vehicle was seen getting into difficulty in floodwater on Friday. Searches were carried out by police after the incident near Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, following disruption caused by Storm Babet. “Formal identification is still to take place, however next of kin have been informed,” officers said.

The discovery takes the number of lives claimed by the storm across the UK to seven. Earlier a man who died after a tree struck his van[1] during the storm was named as John Gillan. The 56-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene following the one-vehicle collision on the B9127 at Whigstreet, south of Forfar in Angus, at around 5.05pm on Thursday.

Police Scotland[2] said there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal. In a statement, his family said: “We are devastated by the loss of John and the circumstances in which he died. “John was a loving husband to Gaynor, dad to Marc, father-in-law to Natasha, and grandad to Reygan and Finley.

“He was also a loving son to John and Moira, brother to Wendy and a loving uncle, son-in-law and brother-in-law. John will be deeply missed by us all.” Mr Gillan was from Arbroath.

Another victim, Wendy Taylor, 57, was swept away in the Water of Lee, Glen Esk, on Thursday. Ms Taylor, a director at Errol-based Taylors Snacks, previously known as Mackie’s, was described by her family as a “ray of sunshine”[3] and a “beautiful, kind, funny and caring person”. Two women also died after a five-vehicle crash on the M4 on Friday morning, which is believed to have been weather-related.

Four cars and an HGV were involved in the collision on the eastbound carriageway between J17 for Chippenham and J18 for Bath. A man in his 60s also died after getting caught in fast-flowing floodwater in the town of Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, on Friday. Story continues

Maureen Gilbert, 83, also died after her home in Chesterfield, Derbyshire flooded. Her son told Sky News how he found her body floating in the water at the property[5] on Saturday. Paul Gilbert said people on his mother’s street “did as much as they could” to prepare for the storm, which is estimated to have flooded more than 1,250 homes across England.

“I thought if the flood defence worked, she was safe,” he added. “For me to have to come and find her myself was upsetting. “I can’t put it into words what it means at the moment.”

Meanwhile, a fresh weather warning for rain has been issued covering a vast swathe of England already hit by flooding as a result of Storm Babet.

The Met Office issued the yellow warning for “heavy rain” which could lead to further flooding in the East Midlands, including Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, as well as much of Yorkshire, including Sheffield, Leeds and York, and Humberside.

References

1. ^ died after a tree struck his van (news.sky.com)
2. ^ Scotland (news.sky.com)
3. ^ “ray of sunshine” (news.sky.com)
4. ^ Why Storm Babet brought so much rain (news.sky.com)
5. ^ how he found her body floating in the water at the property (news.sky.com)