Almost 200 flood warnings remain in place across parts of Britain in the aftermath of Storm Bert which caused devastation over the weekend, leaving five people dead.
Across England and Wales, nearly 200 flood alerts remain in place with travel chaos expected to continue. Rail passengers have been urged not to travel on some lines after trees fell and damaged electrical overhead wires with major disruption expected into this afternoon.
Homes were submerged under water, roads became raging rivers and winds battered parts of Britain with speeds of up to 82mph. While the last of the rain warnings from the Met Office ended at 11.59pm on Sunday, strong winds are set to continue and rain from high ground is expected to reach rivers, which could hamper clean-up efforts.
South Wales was hit hard by Storm Bert with a major incident declared in the Rhondda Cynon Taf region amid fears that Bert would hit harder than Storm Dennis in 2020. Meanwhile, in North Wales the hunt for a missing dog walker ended in tragedy as a body was found in the search for Britan Perry, 75, who disappeared while walking his dog on Saturday near the Afon Conwy river during the storm.
Another man, in his 80s, also died after his car entered water at a ford in Colne, Lancashire, on Saturday afternoon. It was unclear if the incident was directly related to Storm Bert. A woman also in her 80s was recovered from the water and remains in hospital where her condition is described as not life threatening.
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Commuters told ‘do not travel’ as GWR suspends all key routes
Great Western Railway has urged passengers not to travel today and suspended services on all of its key routes after flooding and fallen trees blocked access on the network.
Disruption is expected to last until at least the end of Monday.
It added that passengers may use their tickets on Tuesday or Wednesday for any service, and that refunds can be claimed on their website.
Northampton station submerged by floodwater
No services are stopping at Northampton railway station this morning due to flooding from Storm Bert.
An early morning commuter shared a photo of a platform submerged by floodwater as London Northwestern Railway warned there would be severe disruption to services.
Severe flood warning issued for Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire has been issued a severe flood warning due to deep and fast flowing water.
Northampton station has warned commuters of “severe disruption” this morning due to flooding, with services on the Birmingham, Northampton, Euston and Crewe, Rugby and Euston route disrupted, London Northwestern Railway said.
Limited services are operating between Milton Keynes, London Euston and between Coventry and Birmingham.
‘Very strong winds’ of up to 70mph linger in Scotland
“Very strong winds” associated with Storm Bert are expected to bring disruption to travel across parts of western central and northern Scotland this morning, the Met Office has said.
A yellow weather warning for strong winds is in place for the region and expected to last until 10am.
Gusts of 50-60 mph are likely and as much as 70 mph near western coasts and on exposed bridges.
Hundreds of flood warnings still in place
There are still hundreds of flood warnings and alerts in place across the country this morning.
This includes a severe warning for the River Nene and nearby business parks in Northampton, 164 standard warnings and 211 flood alerts.
A flood warning means “flooding is expected”, while an alert means “it’s possible”.
Combined, there are almost 200 warnings and alerts in place.
Effects of Storm Bert are ‘absolutely devastating’
60 flood warnings and alerts remain in place in Wales this morning after Storm Bert devastated multiple towns.
Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan has described the floods as being “absolutely devastating”.
She said authorities were prepared for the storm, but added “when you get the kind of enormity of rain we’ve had over the past few days”, the impact was always “going to be difficult”.
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