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| Storm Frank: Scotland bears the brunt as torrential rain forces evacuations - live | Storm Frank: Scotland bears the brunt as torrential rain forces evacuations - live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| 11.10am GMT11:10 | |
| ConocoPhillips evacuating staff from North Sea platform | |
| Reuters has more on this rogue barge in the North Sea. ConocoPhillips has now shut down output at its Eldfisk and Embla fields in the North Sea and was evacuating staff from its Eldfisk platform amid fears of the barge hitting its installations. | |
| 11.02am GMT11:02 | |
| The Met’s forecast for today is a brighter, colder day with sunshine and showers, some heavy with hail and thunder especially during the afternoon. A cold night is expected with a widespread frost in all parts. | |
| Many areas should be fine and dry on New Year’s Day (Friday), but cloud, rain and strong winds are likely to return from the west over the weekend. This very unsettled and occasionally stormy spell was well signalled in our recent three month outlooks and is not unusual for this time of year, indeed this is when climatologically we would expect to have most of our storms. | |
| 10.58am GMT10:58 | |
| And here is the Met’s graphic on how wet it’s been in December. | |
| Record breaking rainfall in December puts 2015 in the top ten wettest years on records going back to 1910 pic.twitter.com/7fJnl0Ap4Z | |
| 10.55am GMT10:55 | |
| Met: December 2015, the warmest since 1910 | |
| The Met Office says December 2015 was the warmest since 1910. Along with the remarkable warmth, and virtual complete lack of frost, there has been a marked contrast in rainfall across the UK, it adds. | |
| It has been the wettest December on record for Scotland (333.1 mm), and for Wales (321 mm) and Northern Ireland is currently ranked 4th wettest with 208.1 mm. North-west England has also seen record breaking rainfall, but central and southern England have been much closer to average. For the UK as a whole its currently the second wettest on record. | |
| For Scotland, this is already the wettest ever calendar month in our series since 1910, with 333 mm in the first 29 days easily beating the previous record of 301 mm which was set as recently as December 2013. | |
| For Wales, only one calendar month (November 1929) has had more rain than December 2015, and if the last two days of this month brings more than 16 mm then this record will be broken. | |
| Latest stats reveal December 2015 was the warmest on record dating back to 1910 https://t.co/7RtbbV2X1f pic.twitter.com/u8zMZ6Alcr | |
| 10.49am GMT10:49 | |
| The Birmingham Mail has this story about woman’s narrow escape after a tree fell on her house. | |
| A Birmingham great-grandmother is lucky to be alive after a 100-foot tall tree came crashing through her bathroom – missing her by seconds. | |
| Amazingly, it was the SECOND time in four years that Ruth Stokes had a narrow escape from falling trees. | |
| The 79-year-old had just stepped out of her bathroom to look in a hallway mirror when a neighbour’s 100ft poplar tree collapsed in high winds caused by Storm Frank . | |
| It smashed through the side of her bungalow in Balaclava Road, Kings Heath. Had she not made the impulse decision, she could have been killed. | |
| Great-grandma cheats death as 100ft tree crashes through her bathroom https://t.co/XICOBDV3MR #bhambc pic.twitter.com/sIJBCIEjxa | |
| 10.46am GMT10:46 | |
| Henry McDonald | |
| Our Ireland correspondent reports that the Irish Republic appears to have taken a harder knock from Storm Frank than their neighbours in Northern Ireland. | |
| As of this morning there are still around 3,000 homes in the Republic without power and huge flood damage across the south and south-west counties of Ireland. | |
| Ireland’s meterological service, Met Eireann, said the bad weather will continue to hammer the country well into the new year. | |
| Met Éireann head of forecasting Gerald Fleming said: “There is no sign of an end to this spell of windy, very unsettled and very wet weather that will last well into the middle of next week and beyond.” | |
| Winds of up to 110 kms/per hour are expected to sweep across the country on New Years Eve, Met Éireann said. | |
| North of the border, Northern Ireland Electricity has restored power this morning to 20,000 homes whose supply was temporarily cut down the stormy conditions over the last 24 hours. | |
| However emergency services had to rescue 18 people from their cars and vehicles as well a number of homes across Northern Ireland over the last 24 hours. In Co. Down half a month’s rainfall fell on the county in just three hours, the Met Office said. | |
| Many roads are still impassable and the Belfast to Dublin rail link was badly disrupted after a section of the train line from Portadown to Newry became completely submerged by rainfall. | |
| 10.41am GMT10:41 | 10.41am GMT10:41 |
| Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, has criticised the Environment Agency for its handling of the crisis, ahead of a visit to York, PA reports. | Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, has criticised the Environment Agency for its handling of the crisis, ahead of a visit to York, PA reports. |
| Corbyn said he planned to question officials about 10 “high volume pumps” the party claims the agency owns but has not deployed to the north. | Corbyn said he planned to question officials about 10 “high volume pumps” the party claims the agency owns but has not deployed to the north. |
| The Labour leader said last night: “Tomorrow I am meeting officials from the Environment Agency (EA) emergency response team in York. I will raise with them why they have failed to deploy these brand new pumps that looks as if they could have helped significantly in alleviating some of the worst impacts of the floods in the north of England.” | The Labour leader said last night: “Tomorrow I am meeting officials from the Environment Agency (EA) emergency response team in York. I will raise with them why they have failed to deploy these brand new pumps that looks as if they could have helped significantly in alleviating some of the worst impacts of the floods in the north of England.” |
| Labour’s criticism comes from an October EA report in which it says it had bought “10 one cubic metre per second capacity high volume pumps, which have now been received and are being stored at Bradney depot in Bridgwater, Somerset”. | Labour’s criticism comes from an October EA report in which it says it had bought “10 one cubic metre per second capacity high volume pumps, which have now been received and are being stored at Bradney depot in Bridgwater, Somerset”. |
| The EA said one of the new pumps had been deployed to assist the clean up in Cumbria earlier this month. | The EA said one of the new pumps had been deployed to assist the clean up in Cumbria earlier this month. |
| A spokeswoman said: “During a major flood incident we are able to use equipment from across the country to help communities affected by flooding. During December we moved 43 pumps and around 5,000m of flood barriers from other parts of the country to flood-hit areas in the north of England to help reduce the risk of flooding to communities.” | A spokeswoman said: “During a major flood incident we are able to use equipment from across the country to help communities affected by flooding. During December we moved 43 pumps and around 5,000m of flood barriers from other parts of the country to flood-hit areas in the north of England to help reduce the risk of flooding to communities.” |
| 10.33am GMT10:33 | 10.33am GMT10:33 |
| The worst may be over, but there are still 32 flood warnings in England and Wales. | The worst may be over, but there are still 32 flood warnings in England and Wales. |
| 31 flood warnings and 131 flood alerts in England and Wales this morning. Be #floodaware Stay safe: check the latest https://t.co/pEzuXVrJv3 | 31 flood warnings and 131 flood alerts in England and Wales this morning. Be #floodaware Stay safe: check the latest https://t.co/pEzuXVrJv3 |
| 10.31am GMT10:31 | 10.31am GMT10:31 |
| Dumfries in southern Scotland was one of the worst affected communities by Storm Frank. | Dumfries in southern Scotland was one of the worst affected communities by Storm Frank. |
| Peebles was hit by flooding when the River Tweed burst its banks. | Peebles was hit by flooding when the River Tweed burst its banks. |
| The flooded Knavesmire in York. | The flooded Knavesmire in York. |
| 10.06am GMT10:06 | 10.06am GMT10:06 |
| Libby Brooks | Libby Brooks |
| Scotland took the worst of Storm Frank, as heavy rains forced people into temporary accommodation. Our Scotland correspondent reports. | Scotland took the worst of Storm Frank, as heavy rains forced people into temporary accommodation. Our Scotland correspondent reports. |
| Around 100 people spent the night in temporary accommodation after the River Dee in Aberdeenshire burst its banks late on Wednesday. As the river reached its highest level since 1928, residents on Aberdeen’s Riverside Drive and a nearby sheltered accomodation were evacuated and a makeshift rest centre was opened at the Norwood Hotel. | Around 100 people spent the night in temporary accommodation after the River Dee in Aberdeenshire burst its banks late on Wednesday. As the river reached its highest level since 1928, residents on Aberdeen’s Riverside Drive and a nearby sheltered accomodation were evacuated and a makeshift rest centre was opened at the Norwood Hotel. |
| Some 100 people spent the night military barracks after the Dee also flooded in Ballater, east of the city. Local people helped to make beds and open the kitchens to provide hot drinks and food for the evecuees. Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland from Victoria Barracks, local resident Billy Begg described the speed with which the river burst its banks and flooded his home. | Some 100 people spent the night military barracks after the Dee also flooded in Ballater, east of the city. Local people helped to make beds and open the kitchens to provide hot drinks and food for the evecuees. Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland from Victoria Barracks, local resident Billy Begg described the speed with which the river burst its banks and flooded his home. |
| “It was like a flash flood. The water was rising so quickly. The firemen knocked on our door and threw a harness onto me and said ‘we’ve got to get you out’.” Begg said that he and his wife had not time to save anything from their home. “I just have what I’m standing in. I’m still in my slippers.” | |
| According to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), 64 flood warnings remain in place this morning, two of them severe around the Tweed in Peebles and the Whitesands area of Dumfries. | According to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), 64 flood warnings remain in place this morning, two of them severe around the Tweed in Peebles and the Whitesands area of Dumfries. |
| First minister Nicola Sturgeon is due to visit Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway, one of the communities worst affected by the storm. | First minister Nicola Sturgeon is due to visit Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway, one of the communities worst affected by the storm. |
| Heading to south of Scotland this morning to see for myself some of the damage caused by #StormFrank & thank those working 24/7 to respond. | Heading to south of Scotland this morning to see for myself some of the damage caused by #StormFrank & thank those working 24/7 to respond. |
| Updated at 11.05am GMT | |
| 9.46am GMT09:46 | 9.46am GMT09:46 |
| BP orders complete evacuation of Valhall field in North Sea | BP orders complete evacuation of Valhall field in North Sea |
| BP has already evacuated 150 people from offshore platforms in the North Sea due to an unmanned barge drifting in rough seas toward the Valhall oil field, Reuters reports. Eighty five remain on the platforms. | BP has already evacuated 150 people from offshore platforms in the North Sea due to an unmanned barge drifting in rough seas toward the Valhall oil field, Reuters reports. Eighty five remain on the platforms. |
| Company spokesman Jan-Erik Geirmo said a tug boat was trying to gain control of the barge, which started drifting amid strong winds and high waves late last night. Earlier, Norway’s Statoil said one worker was killed and two were injured when a big wave slammed into a drilling rig on Wednesday in the Troll field, also in the North Sea. Most workers were evacuated from the rig as it headed to shore under its own power. | Company spokesman Jan-Erik Geirmo said a tug boat was trying to gain control of the barge, which started drifting amid strong winds and high waves late last night. Earlier, Norway’s Statoil said one worker was killed and two were injured when a big wave slammed into a drilling rig on Wednesday in the Troll field, also in the North Sea. Most workers were evacuated from the rig as it headed to shore under its own power. |
| Valhall is an oil field in the southern Norwegian North Sea. Located in 70 metres of water, the field was originally developed with three facilities, but has now 8 platforms. Production started in 1982. | Valhall is an oil field in the southern Norwegian North Sea. Located in 70 metres of water, the field was originally developed with three facilities, but has now 8 platforms. Production started in 1982. |
| 9.31am GMT09:31 | 9.31am GMT09:31 |
| Mark Tran | Mark Tran |
| Hundreds of homes were evacuated and thousands are without power after Storm Frank battered the UK with heavy rain and high winds. Residents in Scotland were the latest to endure the misery of being forced from their homes by bad weather as the third named storm in a month hit the country, causing widespread disruption. Further torrential rain also hit the saturated north of England, with people in Croston, Lancashire, urged to immediately evacuate their homes. As the clean-up gets underway, here is the situation on New Year’s Eve. | Hundreds of homes were evacuated and thousands are without power after Storm Frank battered the UK with heavy rain and high winds. Residents in Scotland were the latest to endure the misery of being forced from their homes by bad weather as the third named storm in a month hit the country, causing widespread disruption. Further torrential rain also hit the saturated north of England, with people in Croston, Lancashire, urged to immediately evacuate their homes. As the clean-up gets underway, here is the situation on New Year’s Eve. |