Fifth man dies and hundreds of homes flooded as Storm Bert continues to wreak havoc

Five men have died during Storm Bert as hundreds of homes were flooded in Wales and London was struck by major travel disruption. The second named storm of the season has brought more than 80% of November’s average monthly rainfall in less than 48 hours, with more than 100 flood warnings still in place in England, Scotland and Wales. North Wales Police said a body had been found in the area of Gower Road, Trefiw, in north-west Wales near the Afon Conwy river, where 75-year-old Brian Perry went missing on Saturday while walking his dog.

The body has not been formally identified but Mr Perry’s family has been informed.

North Wales Police In a statement on Facebook on Sunday afternoon, Chief Inspector Simon Kneale of North Wales Police said: “I would like to thank the efforts of all agencies involved in the searches in very difficult conditions and for the local community who supported the teams in the area. “Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time and they have asked that their privacy is respected.”

Another man died after his car entered water at a ford on Cockhill Lane, in Foulridge, Colne, Lancashire, on Saturday afternoon. The man, in his 80s, was taken to hospital where he later died, Lancashire Police said in a statement on Sunday afternoon. It is unclear if the incident was related to Storm Bert.

Emergency services at the scene of a scaffolding collapse on Bethnal Green Road

James Manning/PA Wire The force was called at 7.47am on Saturday to the southbound carriageway between Kings Worthy and Winnall and found the driver of a black Mercedes E350 dead at the scene. Officers are investigating whether the incident was linked to the storm.

Two other fatal collisions happened while the storm took hold in England. The incident took place at 12.59am on Moorhead Lane in Shipley at the junction with Beechwood Grove. Officers found a blue Renault[1] Captur, which had been travelling towards Saltaire, had collided with a wall.

It is unclear if the incident was related to Storm Bert but it is understood the road was not affected by ice.

Firefighters pumping water from a street by the River Taff in Pontypridd, Wales, following flooding PA Wire Meanwhile in Northamptonshire, a man in his 40s died in a crash on the A45 near Flore.

Northamptonshire Police said the collision, at around 8.20am on Saturday, involved a silver Toyota Corolla and a dark grey Hyundai i30 Active. It is not clear whether the incident was linked to the storm. Five adults and five children had to be rescued from a house in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, near Llangollen in north Wales, following a landslide on Saturday, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said.

Hundreds of homes flooded in Wales

The storm saw flooding from the River Taff in Pontypridd, Wales PA Media A major incident has been declared in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area of South Wales, one of the areas worst hit by Storm Bert, with 80% of a month’s rain falling in less than 48 hours.

Between two and three hundred properties have been affected by flooding in the area, while the Environment Agency (EA) estimates 80 properties in England have flooded so far. Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council said the impact of the flooding was “looking to be more significant than the severe impact experienced during Storm Dennis” in 2020. Rising waters have been reported in towns across Wales, including Pontypridd, Ebbw Vale and Aberdare, with landslides in north Wales.

The M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire was closed again on Sunday because of strong winds. It comes after as much as 79.8mm of rain fell in Capel Curig, north Wales, in 24 hours on Saturday and wind gusts of up to 82mph were recorded in the Welsh village. Elsewhere, West Midlands Fire Service said its crews rescued a person trapped in a car stranded in floodwater in Walsall on Sunday morning.

In West Yorkshire a father had to suddenly rescue his 11-month-old son from their flooded car, Sky News reported.

Flights cancelled, Tube station shut and Hyde Park locks its gates

In London, strong winds caused flights to be cancelled and fallen trees, flooding and power cuts caused lengthy delays to train services.

Over 200 flights were forced to be cancelled at Heathrow according to travel data site FlightAware, while at least 15 flights were cancelled at London City Airport[2] throughout Sunday amid the stormy conditions. At Gatwick Airport and Birmingham Airport there were also minor delays as a result of the adverse weather conditions. A section of Bethnal Green Road also had to be cordoned off after some scaffolding collapsed and was perilously leaning over the street.

The overcrowding also meant that Euston underground station was forced to close on Sunday evening.

Passengers were temporarily locked out of Euston station Sophie Royle Multiple fallen trees also damaged overhead electrical wires on the railway line between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport, causing major disruption until further notice, Greater Anglia said.

Transport for London warned that sections of the Piccadilly Line were brought to a standstill due to “significant leaf fall”. The issue has also been causing minor delays on the Northern Line on Sunday afternoon. There was also no service on the London Overground between Richmond and South Acton due to a tree on the track.

Similarly, there was no service between Gospel Oak and Woodgrange Park on the London Overground while Network Rail removed a tree from the track at Blackhorse Road.

Locked gates at Hyde Park, which has been closed to the public during Storm Bert

Yui Mok/PA Wire

Southwestern Railway services into London Waterloo were disrupted by a tree blocking the railway between Fleet and Farnborough in Hampshire.

References

1. ^ Renault (www.standard.co.uk)
2. ^ London City Airport (www.standard.co.uk)