Express. Worst storm in years wseeps Britain

BRITAIN was placed on major flood alert last night after torrential rain, melting snow and 80mph winds brought chaos to vast areas.
After two weeks of ice and heavy snow cost the country an estimated £4billion, a “double weather bomb” – one of the worst Atlantic storms in decades – swept in, bringing nearly two inches of rain.

Amid the deluge, a canoeist died after being pulled from a swollen river in Yorkshire. The tail end will bring further rain and gales today before yet another front sweeps in. Experts said during the storm, pressure plunged 58 millibars in 24 hours – more than double the 24 millibars drop which is the definition of a “weather bomb”.

As temperatures dramatically rose over the weekend – by up to 12C in some cases – areas hit by heavy snow on Friday and Saturday saw an extremely rapid thaw. The big melt coincided with heavy rainfall, while coastal areas were pounded by gale force winds and 52ft waves were recorded in the Atlantic around Ireland.

In England and Wales 87 flood warnings urging residents to take immediate action and more than 300 flood alerts calling for people to be prepared were issued by the Environment Agency last night.

A spokesman said: “Emergency teams have been out in force throughout the weekend shoring up defences, monitoring river levels and clearing blockages from watercourses.”

Floods were yesterday affecting Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Shropshire, Cornwall, Devon, large parts of the Midlands, Yorkshire, the North-east and south Wales with conditions made worse by snow melt and continuing heavy rainfall.

And the spokesman said the rain, falling on already saturated ground, would be likely to lead to disruption to roads and low lying land, as well as property flooding, especially in the South-west of England tomorrow.

In addition, some river levels are still yet to peak, with larger rivers, including the Trent and Severn, continuing to rise throughout the week. Mobile flood barriers have been urgently deployed at Bewdley and Shrewsbury to protect flooding from the Severn.

Hundreds of people were stranded on motorways in the North after heavy snow on Friday night. The M6 was blocked in both directions between Wigan and Standish in Lancashire.

Mountain rescue workers were drafted in to check on the condition of stranded drivers, with one man suffering from diabetes taken to hospital.

The two-week freeze has cost an estimated £4billion in lost working hours, transport chaos, property and vehicle damage, in addition to higher energy bills, according to analysis for industry leaders.