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| Storm Frank: kayaker's body found as Scotland bears brunt of extreme weather | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| As the battering winds and torrential rains of Storm Frank subsided, leaving the people of Scotland, Ireland and northern England to survey the damage in its wake, police confirmed that one man had died in the latest bout of extreme weather. | As the battering winds and torrential rains of Storm Frank subsided, leaving the people of Scotland, Ireland and northern England to survey the damage in its wake, police confirmed that one man had died in the latest bout of extreme weather. |
| Police Scotland recovered the body of a kayaker, believed to be in his 50s, who had been missing since he got into difficulties on the Findhorn river near Inverness on Wednesday afternoon. | Police Scotland recovered the body of a kayaker, believed to be in his 50s, who had been missing since he got into difficulties on the Findhorn river near Inverness on Wednesday afternoon. |
| Emergency services were called to an area known as Elephant Rock having been alerted to a kayaker who was struggling to navigate the swollen river, but a coastguard search had to be called off as weather conditions worsened. Police Scotland confirmed that they recovered the man’s body from the river at 9am on Thursday. His next of kin were informed. | Emergency services were called to an area known as Elephant Rock having been alerted to a kayaker who was struggling to navigate the swollen river, but a coastguard search had to be called off as weather conditions worsened. Police Scotland confirmed that they recovered the man’s body from the river at 9am on Thursday. His next of kin were informed. |
| Twenty-one flood warnings remain in place across Scotland, which bore the brunt of the latest deluge as many homes were evacuated and hundreds of people were left without power. | Twenty-one flood warnings remain in place across Scotland, which bore the brunt of the latest deluge as many homes were evacuated and hundreds of people were left without power. |
| Residents of Ballater, west of Aberdeen, who were evacuated after the river Dee burst its banks late on Wednesday, were told they might have to spend another night in a makeshift centre at a nearby military barracks while safety checks were carried out on their homes and power restored. | Residents of Ballater, west of Aberdeen, who were evacuated after the river Dee burst its banks late on Wednesday, were told they might have to spend another night in a makeshift centre at a nearby military barracks while safety checks were carried out on their homes and power restored. |
| Visiting Newton Stewart, in Dumfries and Galloway, where residents were the first in Scotland to be evacuated after the river Cree burst its banks on Wednesday morning, Nicola Sturgeon described the response to the floods as heroic. | Visiting Newton Stewart, in Dumfries and Galloway, where residents were the first in Scotland to be evacuated after the river Cree burst its banks on Wednesday morning, Nicola Sturgeon described the response to the floods as heroic. |
| Related: Scotland bears brunt of Storm Frank – as it happened | |
| “Emergency services, volunteers, members of the public, the council, working together. There’s a sense here of real community spirit,” the Scottishfirst minister said. | “Emergency services, volunteers, members of the public, the council, working together. There’s a sense here of real community spirit,” the Scottishfirst minister said. |
| “But there’s a long recovery road ahead for some of the people I’ve been speaking to. One of the reasons I’m here is so that I can see it for myself, so we can make sure we are doing everything we reasonably can to help people with that recovery.” | “But there’s a long recovery road ahead for some of the people I’ve been speaking to. One of the reasons I’m here is so that I can see it for myself, so we can make sure we are doing everything we reasonably can to help people with that recovery.” |
| About 3,000 homes were without power in Ireland, where there was major flood damage across counties in the south and south-west. | About 3,000 homes were without power in Ireland, where there was major flood damage across counties in the south and south-west. |
| The Scottish government announced on Thursday morning that it had triggered the Bellwin scheme, which allows ministers to offer emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help with the cost of flood damage. Unlike England and Wales, where funding for flood defence comes through one central body, the Environment Agency, in Scotland the Holyrood government provides funding every year for local authorities to invest in protection schemes. | The Scottish government announced on Thursday morning that it had triggered the Bellwin scheme, which allows ministers to offer emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help with the cost of flood damage. Unlike England and Wales, where funding for flood defence comes through one central body, the Environment Agency, in Scotland the Holyrood government provides funding every year for local authorities to invest in protection schemes. |
| Related: Corbyn vows to pressure government to properly fund flood defences | Related: Corbyn vows to pressure government to properly fund flood defences |
| The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said that he would put pressure on the government to fund the Environment Agency fully, after the Guardian reported criticism of George Osborne, who has been accused of jeopardising Britain’s flood defences over the past five years by prioritising cuts to the deficit. | The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said that he would put pressure on the government to fund the Environment Agency fully, after the Guardian reported criticism of George Osborne, who has been accused of jeopardising Britain’s flood defences over the past five years by prioritising cuts to the deficit. |
| Corbyn, who was visiting flood responders in York, called for a thorough re-examination of the country’s defences, bringing together all of the agencies that deal with the issues of river basin management, and water flow off hills and further upstream. | Corbyn, who was visiting flood responders in York, called for a thorough re-examination of the country’s defences, bringing together all of the agencies that deal with the issues of river basin management, and water flow off hills and further upstream. |
| Fears of a further battering by another storm, dubbed Storm Gertrude by the Irish media, appeared to be premature as forecasters predicted that it would miss the UK and hit France next week. | Fears of a further battering by another storm, dubbed Storm Gertrude by the Irish media, appeared to be premature as forecasters predicted that it would miss the UK and hit France next week. |
| Graham Madge, a Met Office spokesman, said: “We have picked another weather system up, but we don’t think at the moment it’s necessarily going to cause any problem for the UK. | Graham Madge, a Met Office spokesman, said: “We have picked another weather system up, but we don’t think at the moment it’s necessarily going to cause any problem for the UK. |
| “The prediction is that it’s going to France, although we’re watching it from well off the west coast of Ireland, but the track looks like it will go much further south where it won’t be a problem.” | “The prediction is that it’s going to France, although we’re watching it from well off the west coast of Ireland, but the track looks like it will go much further south where it won’t be a problem.” |
| The new weather front had not yet developed in the Atlantic, but was expected to reach northern France by Tuesday next week, Madge said. | The new weather front had not yet developed in the Atlantic, but was expected to reach northern France by Tuesday next week, Madge said. |
| Wintry showers, some heavy, are expected across the north of England on New Year’s Day with cloud and rain spreading south-west. Large swaths of the country from Cornwall to Wales and Northern Ireland will be hit by brief downpours in the afternoon before further showers hang over Kent, Lincolnshire and the east coast by early evening. Lower level showers are also expected in Scotland.Despite the unremitting downpours, forecasters say the New Year’s Day rain should not cause further flooding, though some areas remain at risk from swollen rivers following rainfall over the past 48 hours. | Wintry showers, some heavy, are expected across the north of England on New Year’s Day with cloud and rain spreading south-west. Large swaths of the country from Cornwall to Wales and Northern Ireland will be hit by brief downpours in the afternoon before further showers hang over Kent, Lincolnshire and the east coast by early evening. Lower level showers are also expected in Scotland.Despite the unremitting downpours, forecasters say the New Year’s Day rain should not cause further flooding, though some areas remain at risk from swollen rivers following rainfall over the past 48 hours. |
| In Leeds, the cleanup effort allowed the Kirkstall Bridge Inn to reopen its doors on Thursday for a Hawaiian-themed New Year’s Eve barbecue despite being inundated by two floods in as many months. | In Leeds, the cleanup effort allowed the Kirkstall Bridge Inn to reopen its doors on Thursday for a Hawaiian-themed New Year’s Eve barbecue despite being inundated by two floods in as many months. |
| The pub closed early on Boxing Day when the storm hit, leaving its lower bar under a metre and a half (5ft) of floodwater. Around 100 volunteers have mucked in to help clear sewage and silt from the pub in time for New Year’s Eve. | The pub closed early on Boxing Day when the storm hit, leaving its lower bar under a metre and a half (5ft) of floodwater. Around 100 volunteers have mucked in to help clear sewage and silt from the pub in time for New Year’s Eve. |
| Ian Forster, the pub’s 33-year-old landlord, said the party was now sold out with 200 ticket holders defying Storm Frank to hold a proper Yorkshire knees-up. “We knew we would do something, rain or shine we’d make some effort,” Forster said. | Ian Forster, the pub’s 33-year-old landlord, said the party was now sold out with 200 ticket holders defying Storm Frank to hold a proper Yorkshire knees-up. “We knew we would do something, rain or shine we’d make some effort,” Forster said. |
| New fireworks had been bought to replace those claimed by the floodwater, he said, with the hardiest ticket holders expected to turn up in fancy dress. “It won’t be as good as it was, but we’ve managed to get some fireworks at least,” he said. “The Hawaiian BBQ was inspired by the floods. There’ll be flip-flops, it’s ideal weather for it.” | New fireworks had been bought to replace those claimed by the floodwater, he said, with the hardiest ticket holders expected to turn up in fancy dress. “It won’t be as good as it was, but we’ve managed to get some fireworks at least,” he said. “The Hawaiian BBQ was inspired by the floods. There’ll be flip-flops, it’s ideal weather for it.” |