Britain faces further torrential rain across large swathes of the country over the next few days along with hail, thunder and snow, bringing even more misery to flood-hit communities after more heavy downpours overnight.
Nearly 300 flood warnings or alerts remain in place today, while up to 4in (100mm) of rain – or a month’s worth – is expected to fall in parts of Wales before the weekend and 65mph gusts are set to sweep in to Scotland tomorrow.
It comes as Conservative MPs in flood-hit constituencies around the country criticised the Government’s slow financial response to the crisis and urged Whitehall to make more money available for flood defences.
Jeremy Corbyn has slammed the Prime Minister for not visiting flood-hit communities. The Labour leader also said Boris Johnson was showing his ‘true colours’ by not convening the Government’s emergency committee Cobra.
Thousands of properties have been evacuated across England and Wales after the weekend weather chaos led to ‘unprecedented’ flooding, while officials warned the further bad weather has created a ‘heightened flood risk’.
After three days battling against rising water levels, six severe flood alerts – meaning there is a ‘risk to life’ – remained in place last night along the Severn and Wye rivers, which have reached record-breaking levels.
Temporary flood barriers hold back the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shropshire, yesterday in the aftermath of Storm Dennis
People eat in front of temporary flood defences in Bewdley, Worcestershire, yesterday in the aftermath of Storm Dennis
A flood barrier on Hylton Road in Worcester yesterday after the River Severn burst its banks in the aftermath of Storm Dennis
Residents picking up sandbags in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, yesterday where pumps and flood barriers have been put in to help to keep the water from flooding homes following the aftermath of Storm Dennis
Persistent rain has seen the Met Office raise yellow weather warnings across parts of southern Scotland and Strathclyde, north-western England and Wales as recovery efforts continue following Storm Dennis.
England has already received 141 per cent of its average February rainfall so far this month, with river levels in the Colne, Ribble, Calder, Aire, Trent, Severn, Wye, Lugg, and Derwent all setting new records in recent days.
Forecasters warned that heavy rain could fall on areas where the ground is already saturated from Dennis and Storm Ciara, which struck just a week before.
Last night, rescuers were searching for a missing 87-year-old woman named Jean Disney who is feared to have fallen into the River Exe near her home town of Tiverton, Devon.
It came as residents in Ironbridge, Shropshire, breathed a sigh of relief after emergency flood defences managed to keep the swollen Severn at bay – although some properties in the area still experienced flooding.
A band of rain is hitting much of western Britain this morning along with snow (left), which continues this afternoon (right)
The Met Office has issued a series of rain warnings across the country (left), with more due tomorrow in some areas (right)
Up to 30 riverside properties were evacuated amid fears that water could breach barriers and engulf the town. But only a handful of homes were affected as the Environment Agency said its protective measures had so far worked.
There was further relief in Bewdley, which straddles the Severn north of Worcester, after defences ‘held up’ despite water reaching near-record levels.
Met Office heavy rain warnings are in place today for parts of Wales, which has experienced some of the worst flooding.
There are further rain warnings in place for north-west England and southern Scotland today, as well as Yorkshire and the North East tomorrow.
Craig Snell, from the Met Office, said: ‘Hot on the heels of Storm Dennis, we have now got this next weather system coming through. ‘We have a cluster of warnings around the UK. In the worst case scenario, we could see a month’s worth of rain.’
Storm Dennis has been linked to five deaths and the Environment Agency yesterday said that 645 properties in England had been flooded. Kate Marks, of the agency, said that although Storm Dennis had long passed ‘we’ll be feeling the impacts for a few more days’.
She added: ‘There’s a lot more water in the river systems. In particular, we are worried about the rivers Severn, Teme and Wye.’
Rain fell heavily across northern and western parts of Britain overnight, Met Office forecaster Mark Wilson said, adding it was likely to continue until about 3pm.
The village of Capel Curig in North Wales received 2.1in (54mm) of rain in 24 hours, compared to an average of 3.8in (97mm) of rain for the whole of February.
Cumbria’s Shap, which recorded 4.7in (120mm) across February 2019, saw 2in (52mm) fall before day broke today. But some relief reprieve was on the way later in the day, Mr Wilson said.
Windy and wet conditions will continue on Saturday and Sunday (above), with further snow expected in parts of Scotland
‘The rain will clear through the west in the afternoon then through the southeast later,’ he said. People can look forward to ‘sunshine and showers’ later in the day, the forecaster added.
There are nearly 300 flood alerts (amber) or warnings (red)
More weather warnings are likely tomorrow with heavy rain expected across western Scotland, Yorkshire and parts of Cumbria. Gusty winds are also expected to strengthen at the end of the working week.
Mr Wilson urged people to be mindful of warnings as they go about their day. ‘There could be some pretty tricky conditions on the roads, make sure you give yourself a bit more time with travel because there’s some fairly heavy rain around,’ he said.
Meanwhile, fundraising efforts have continued for those affected by the floods, with multiple communities in Wales starting collections.
Yesterday, Good Omens actor Michael Sheen launched a campaign to raise money for affected communities in Wales, raising half of its £10,000 goal within the first five hours.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued flood alerts for 11 areas, including Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders, plus seven more serious flood warnings for areas around the River Tay and Pitlochry in Perthshire.
A Met Office spokesman said: ‘Continued unsettled weather in Scotland could deliver further impacts, particularly in the areas worst hit by recent storms. We are also tracking an area of low pressure which appears to be heading for North West Scotland on Monday.
‘ This will bring strong winds to Northern Ireland and the West Coast of Scotland. There is general agreement it will result in wet and windy conditions but its potency has yet to be verified.’
There is speculation that this could lead to the fifth-named storm of the winter, which would be named Storm Ellen.
Meanwhile, Calder Valley’s Tory MP Craig Whittaker said the Government’s response to flooding had been inadequate.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he had been ‘hammering on doors on Whitehall’ since the flooding began ten days ago to get ministers to trigger its emergency funding scheme, which was finally announced on Tuesday night.
His West Yorkshire constituency saw almost 1,200 properties flooded when Ciara dumped 4in of rain in less than 18 hours.
Mr Whittaker said: ‘The sad thing is all this funding package announced last night comes from about seven different departments and when you don’t have a situation where you’ve got all ministers in one room, getting them to sign off is just incredibly difficult.’
Shrewsbury’s Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski yesterday said he would be lobbying for extra money to pay for better flood defences and to compensate businesses affected.
He said: ‘If we can afford £106million for HS2, then I think we can afford funding from Defra [Department for Food and Rural Affairs] for more flood alleviation schemes.’
On Tuesday, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said he would release state aid for flooded homes and businesses worth up to £5,000 per property.
England’s new-build flood farce: One in TEN homes constructed over the last seven years are on land at highest risk from rising water levels
One in ten new homes built in England over the past seven years have been constructed on land at the most risk of flooding, it was revealed last night.
More than 84,000 at-risk properties have been built since 2013, with the number of homes built in these areas annually more than doubling in recent years.
Experts claimed the Government should review housebuilding targets amid claims councils are facing pressure to build more homes despite a lack of suitable sites.
Properties have been flooded in the Shropshire town of Ironbridge, pictured yesterday
It comes as a rural insurance firm estimated it would pay out £20million in claims for damage caused by Storm Ciara as communities handle the aftermath of Dennis.
Rob Wilby, a geography professor at Loughborough University, told The Guardian: ‘We’re compounding the existing risk by continuing to build on the floodplain.
‘The more we’re paving over natural areas the more we’re making it easier for water to move across the land and enter rivers.’
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has promised to build 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s to help solve the housing shortage.
John Baddham checking pumps in his back garden, flood barriers help to keep the water from flooding homes in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, yesterday in the aftermath of Storm Dennis
But data revealed in the Guardian shows the number of new houses built on at-risk land rose from 9,500 in 2013 to 24,000 in 2016-17, then fell 20,000 in 2017-18.
Some 20 per cent of new homes in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, have been built on at-risk land since 2015, despite their being four floods there in the past eight years.
Calderdale council leader Tim Swift said: ‘There’s got to be a look at planning policy and the relationship between housing numbers and the pressures on flooding.’
An MHCLG spokesman told MailOnline today: ‘Local authorities have a responsibility to assess the number of homes their communities need and our planning policy is clear that housing should be located in the areas at least risk of flooding.
A view of Upton-upon-Severn yesterday as the Worcestershire town sits surrounded by water
‘Where development in a high risk area is absolutely necessary, sufficient measures should be taken to make sure homes are safe, resilient and protected from flooding.’
Meanwhile insurance company NFU Mutual has said it is expecting to pay out around £20million in claims for damage caused by Storm Ciara.
The firm, which insures many homes and businesses in rural areas, has received more than 2,800 claims in the wake of Ciara and a further 1,000 related to Dennis.
Around 90 per cent of the claims are for personal home insurance related to severe damage including fallen trees, damage to roofs and chimneys being blown over.
A man helps a postman deliver letters to residents in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, yesterday
The firm said while Ciara prompted more claims for storm damage due to heavy winds, the subsequent storm brought heavy rain in localised areas causing more flood claims.
Fellow insurer Aviva saw a 285 per cent surge in calls and claims after the damage caused by Ciara.
Insurers have said it is too early to estimate the total cost of the damage from the two storms, but NFU Mutual said flood damage is expensive to repair, averaging £20,000 per claim.
Following widespread flooding in Yorkshire and the Midlands in 2019, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) estimated claims would cost insurers up to £110 million.
Floodwater at a caravan park in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, yesterday following Storm Dennis
Storm Doris in February 2017 cost £11.5million in payouts from NFU Mutual as the cost of Storm Desmond in 2016 reached £36million.
In December 2016, Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank hit areas of the UK and cost fellow insurer Direct Line between £110million and £140million in claims.
Paul Branch, NFU Mutual head of claims, said: ‘Storm Ciara is one of the worst storms to hit the UK for several years and we’ll be paying out in the region of £20 million to help our customers get back into their homes and businesses as quickly as possible.
‘Even at this early stage we are also aware of more than 1,000 claims for Storm Dennis, and we expect the numbers to continue to increase as more customers submit their claims for damage.
A man removes a tree blown over by Storm Dennis in Birkenshaw, West Yorkshire, on Sunday
‘The number of severe flood warnings is decreasing with water starting to make its way to rivers, so thankfully we’re expecting the situation on the ground to start getting better for most regions.
‘We remain concerned about customers in Tewkesbury, Wales and Herefordshire and the Lake District.’
The (ABI) has advised people facing damage or flooding to contact their insurer as soon as possible.
Many insurers have 24-hour emergency helplines and they may be able to arrange temporary emergency repairs to stop any damage getting worse.