Storm Babet: third person dies after flooding; 30 people evacuated in Derbyshire – as it happened

A man has died after getting caught in flood water in Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire.

The man in his 60s was said to have gone under fast-flowing water from a brook overflowing on to a road, at about 10.40am, BBC News reports.

West Mercia police said officers quickly attended the scene but the man was found dead at about 12.35pm.

The force said members of the public reported a man went under the water shortly before 10.40am.

Formal identification has yet to take place but the family have been informed and are being supported by officers.

• A man in his 60s died[1] on Friday morning after getting caught in flood water in Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire, the third person to die in Storm Babet.

• Police confirmed[2] that a person aged 56 had also died, after a falling tree hit his van near Forfar in Angus on Thursday evening.

• The Met Office extended[3] its rare red warning, which was due to expire at noon on Friday, into Saturday for east Scotland, meaning there is a risk to life from the stormy weather.

• Derbyshire fire and rescue service said a major incident has been declared in the county due to the impact of Storm Babet.

• Water levels rose rapidly[4] overnight in Angus county, with some parts only accessible by boat by the morning. Emergency crews rescued people trapped in their flooded homes, who had opted to remain despite the evacuation order, and brought them to rest centres.

• Leeds Bradford airport announced it has closed after passengers were earlier evacuated[5] from a plane that skidded off the runway when landing due to wet weather in the afternoon.

• Derbyshire Fire and Rescue service said they rescued[6] 60 people from homes and businesses in the Brampton area of Chesterfield.

• Suffolk county declared[7] a major incident, with fire services asking people not to travel unless “absolutely essential” due to severe flooding and dangerous driving conditions.

• Flooding hit Dundee[8] as the Dighty Burn in the city’s Balmossie area burst its banks. Houses adjoining the burn were flooded and cars submerged.

• The Energy Networks Association said that 55,000 customers had been left without power, but 45,000 of those have been reconnected.

• Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSEN) says it has managed to reconnect almost 32,000 customers and work is going on to reconnect another 2,800.

As of 9pm, SSEN has restored power to 32,000 customers, with work ongoing to reconnect 2,800 properties.

Here is the Met Office’s forecast for Saturday with rain the common denominator.

?

A very wet start to Saturday in Scotland and parts of northern England with strong easterly winds ? Brighter further showers, although scattered showers continue, particularly in the southeast

? Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/6OB1VcIQhO[9][10]

— Met Office (@metoffice) October 20, 2023[11]

Across England, there were over 283 flood warnings and 243 alerts on Friday evening, while 55,000 people were left without power as a result of the storm.

Colin Robertson, the 57-year-old director of Street Friends in Aberdeen, which supports people with homelessness and rough sleeping, told the Guardian that he has concerns for the lives of rough sleepers caught amid the biting storm.

“The obvious [fear] is that somebody’s going to die – somebody is going to get that cold that their bodies are just going to pack in. It is really, really cold out there,” he said.

On Friday, four Street Friends volunteers handed out hot drinks, pot noodles and warm clothes and sleeping bags to 48 people in Aberdeen, after helping 30 people on Thursday.

“It is absolutely freezing, plus it’s been raining,” he said. “I think that’s probably the worst thing, the rain – because if you’re sleeping rough, you’re never ever going to get dry, not in this weather.

And you get cold, and then you’re really cold.”

Robertson said earlier this week volunteers found a man fast asleep in a doorway around midnight, with only a sleeping bag for protection. Rough sleeping deaths in this weather “are going to happen,” he said. “It doesn’t bear thinking about.”

First Minister Humza Yousaf paid tribute to two people who died during Storm Babet – as Police Scotland said flooding was “the most difficult conditions” some communities had ever faced.[12]

Yousaf said: “Storm Babet has now, tragically, claimed lives, and my deepest condolences go out to the families of those who have lost loved ones.

Unfortunately, we have not seen the last of this storm.

“Around half the average monthly rainfall for October is expected to fall through tonight and tomorrow in areas already severely affected by exceptional levels of rainfall.

“It was always expected that the impacts of the storm would continue even once the most severe aspects of the storm itself had subsided, but a new Red weather alert makes the ongoing severity of this situation clear.”

Assistant Chief Constable of Police Scotland Stuart Houston said: “With the red warning extended until midnight Saturday, this remains a dangerous situation which poses a threat to life.

“Communities in Tayside are dealing with some of the most difficult conditions they have faced, with evacuations continuing of those affected by flooding.”

Storm Babet left 55,000 customers without power in England as it “battered” the country, the Energy Networks Association has said.

Ross Easton, director of external affairs at ENA, said that about 45,000 customers had already been reconnected but that 10,000 were still without power on Friday.

He told the PA news agency: “Around 10,000 customers are without power in England, with the storm continuing to batter parts of the country. Around 45,000 customers have been reconnected already.

“The energy network operators have been contacting customers on the priority services register since before the storm began, checking in on them and making them aware of potential disruption.

“Hundreds of field engineers, control room and customer service staff have been deployed to support and reconnect people as quickly as possible, as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Dozens of people cut off by flooding in the village of Debenham, Suffolk are sheltering in the local leisure centre, staff said.

Ness Rodgers, events coordinator at Debenham Leisure Centre, told the PA news agency: “We have about 50 people here but we are expecting more.

“Nobody can get in or out of the village. Tractors are picking people up who are stuck on the edge of the village.

There are a couple of people here whose houses are flooded so they can’t get in.

“We’ve got lots of crash mats which we’ve laid out. We’re trying to make people as comfortable and as calm as possible. We have one girl who’s hysterical because she just wants to go home.”

Derbyshire fire and rescue service says it has now rescued about 60 people from flooded homes and businesses in the Brampton area of Chesterfield.

Earlier, the figure was 30.

Incident commander Mark King said residents had been moved to a nearby rest centre set up by the county council, the BBC reported.

Eastern Scotland[13] is braced for further heavy flooding and storm damage after the Met Office issued a second “danger to life” red weather warning, as the death toll from Storm Babet rose to three.

The emergency services rescued about 60 people from Brechin in Angus, but were unable to reach others stranded in their homes after the South Esk River surged to record heights, overwhelming flood defences erected seven years ago.

Police on Friday confirmed that three people have died in the storm. A man was swept away by a swollen brook in Shropshire on Friday and, on Thursday, a van driver, 56, was killed by a fallen tree in Forfar. In a separate incident, a 57-year-old woman was swept to her death[14] in the Water of Lee in Glen Esk.

The weather agency said the very rare red warning for severe flooding and disruption would cover parts of Angus and southern Aberdeenshire for the whole of Saturday, only hours after the first red warning for the region had lapsed at noon on Friday.

It said another 100mm of rain could fall there on Saturday.

UK weather: Met Office issues second red warning for Eastern Scotland

Flooding has caused 70-minute delays on the A1 near Grantham in Lincolnshire, National Highways has said.

In a post on X, the agency said: “Due to extensive flooding in the area, the A1 has reduced capacity both ways between the A46 and B6326 near Grantham.

“Traffic Officers, Nottinghamshire police and contractors are working to clear the water and get the lanes moving; there are delays of 70 minutes on the approach.”

Derbyshire fire and rescue service said a major incident had been declared in the county due to the impact of Storm Babet.

In a post on social media site X, formerly Twitter, the service advised people not travel unless essential until further notice this weekend.

The post added: “Do not ignore road closed signs.”

A statement posted on the service’s website added: “Most roads in Derbyshire are affected by flooding and many are closed.

“We are calling on our communities to follow the advice below to keep safe: Do not travel unless essential from now until further information is available later in the weekend. Continue to watch for weather and flooding updates. Look out for vulnerable neighbours, especially if they have care services who may not be able to reach them.

“Never drive or walk into floodwater, even if it appears shallow – it could endanger your life.”

Derbyshire fire and rescue service earlier said they rescued[19] 30 people from homes and businesses in the Brampton area of Chesterfield.

West Midlands fire service rescued eight people and a dog after vehicles became stranded in flood water in the village of Balsall Common, near Solihull.

The brigade said in a statement: “Please avoid the area around Balsall Street, Balsall Common.

“Several people whose vehicles got stuck in the water there have been brought to safety on rafts by our firefighters

“We were called at around 2.40pm.

Crews responded from Canley and Sheldon fire stations, and our technical rescue unit. Five men, two women, a child and a dog were ferried from five cars and a van. No one was hurt.”

Leeds Bradford airport has announced it has closed after passengers were earlier evacuated[20] from a plane that skidded off the runway.

A spokesperson said: “We can confirm there are no reported injuries from this incident and that all passengers have now safely disembarked the aircraft.

“The airport is now closed.

“We are working with the airline, relevant operations teams and emergency authorities to resolve this situation and return services safely as quickly as possible.

“We ask passengers to contact their airline to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.”

We can confirm the airport is now closed.

We ask passengers to contact their airline to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.

There are no reported injuries from today’s incident and all passengers have now safely disembarked the aircraft.

— LeedsBradfordAirport (@LBIAirport) October 20, 2023[21]

References

1. ^ died (www.theguardian.com)
2. ^ confirmed (www.theguardian.com)
3. ^ extended (www.theguardian.com)
4. ^ rose rapidly (www.theguardian.com)
5. ^ evacuated (www.theguardian.com)
6. ^ rescued (www.theguardian.com)
7. ^ declared (www.theguardian.com)
8. ^ hit Dundee (www.theguardian.com)
9. ^ #WeatherAware (twitter.com)
10. ^ pic.twitter.com/6OB1VcIQhO (t.co)
11. ^ October 20, 2023 (twitter.com)
12. ^ Scotland (www.theguardian.com)
13. ^ Scotland (www.theguardian.com)
14. ^ a 57-year-old woman was swept to her death (www.theguardian.com)
15. ^ UK weather: Met Office issues second red warning for Eastern Scotland