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UK weather: warning of further rain for areas already hit by flooding UK weather warning of further rain for areas already hit by flooding
(about 11 hours later)
More than 100 flood alerts in England as Jeremy Corbyn criticises government response Stricken parts of England and Wales remain at risk, as Jeremy Corbyn criticises PM’s response
Parts of the UK already saturated by heavy rainfall and flooding have been warned by forecasters to prepare for more wet weather. Parts of the UK remain at risk of significant flooding from ongoing heavy rain, as Jeremy Corbyn challenged Boris Johnson to visit flood victims to “see what it’s like when you’ve got sewage water in your kitchen”.
The Environment Agency said there were 106 flood warnings in place for England on Thursday morning, including six severe warnings, indicating a danger to life, in communities near the Welsh border. The Labour leader added to criticism of the government’s response to the floods during a visit to south Wales on Thursday, where he said the prime minister should have convened the Cobra emergency meeting to manage the crisis.
Persistent rain has caused the Met Office to raise yellow weather warnings across parts of southern Scotland and Strathclyde, north-west England and Wales as recovery efforts continue following Storm Dennis. “Sadly, I’m not surprised but I do think that it’s the duty of the prime minister to be there in places where there are difficulties, whether there is an election or not,” he said.
Jeremy Corbyn – who was due to visit south Wales on Thursday to meet residents and volunteers in flood-hit communities – criticised Boris Johnson for not visiting those affected by flooding, adding that he had shown his “true colours” by not convening the government’s emergency committee Cobra. Asked if he had a message for Johnson, Corbyn said: “Go and visit people, go and talk to them, go and see what it’s like when you’ve got sewage water in your kitchen. Go see what it’s like when you lose all your personal possessions and just think about that. Think how you would feel if your house was flooded.”
“Failing to convene Cobra to support flood-hit communities sends a very clear message: if the prime minister is not campaigning for votes in a general election he simply does not care about helping communities affected by flooding, especially communities that have repeatedly been flooded in recent years,” the Labour leader said. In response, the environment secretary, George Eustice, accused the Labour leader of trying to politicise the floods.
Ahead of his visit, Corbyn said areas most vulnerable to flooding had been “badly let down time and time again”, and criticised the government’s response to the climate crisis. The Environment Agency (EA) warned on Thursday of worsening conditions across the Pennines and parts of Yorkshire, and said that ongoing river flooding remained probable for the English-Welsh border around the River Severn for the rest of the week.
“As the climate crisis deepens, extreme weather conditions will become more frequent and severe,” he said. “The government’s response has been wholly inadequate and fails to grasp the scale of this crisis.” It said England had received 144% of the average February rainfall, and record river levels had been broken on the Colne, Ribble, Calder, Aire, Trent, Severn, Wye, Lugg, and Derwent.
Johnson was criticised on Tuesday by the Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price, who said the Welsh government should have its own Cobra-style national emergency response system. The director of incident management, Caroline Douglass, warned residents of the flood risk. “This is the third weekend we have seen exceptional river levels and stormy weather, and, with the effects of climate change, we need to prepare for more frequent periods of extreme weather like this,” she said.
The business minister, Nadhim Zahawi, defended Johnson for not visiting areas of the UK affected by flooding. “[He] is focused to make sure that I, as the business minister, get the money out the door to those businesses. That’s what he has tasked me to do. He’s made sure that the ministers in the department for local government activate the Bellwin scheme, that’s what Robert Jenrick [the housing secretary] has done,” Zahawi told Sky News. The EA’s prediction was echoed by the Met Office, which forecast another deluge across northern regions and parts of England.
Yellow warnings for rain and wind have remained throughout the week in the north of the UK. Ninety-one flood warnings stayed in place in England and Wales on Thursday afternoon as well as six severe flood warnings, meaning a danger to life.
The more extreme warnings were near the English-Welsh border, around the rivers Severn, Wye, and Lugg, where people had already experienced flooding. There are also 154 flood alerts across the country.
The prime minister was criticised earlier this week by the Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price, who said the Welsh government should have its own Cobra-style system.
The business minister, Nadhim Zahawi, defended Johnson for not visiting areas of the UK affected by flooding. “[He] is focused to make sure that I, as the business minister, get the money out the door to those businesses. That’s what he has tasked me to do.
“He’s made sure that the ministers in the department for local government activate the Bellwin scheme, that’s what Robert Jenrick [the housing secretary] has done,” Zahawi told Sky News.
“He is now prime minister and is leading the team as the prime minister but quite rightly, rather than having a sort of jamboree of media and your whole entourage going, he wants to help people by getting the funding to them.”“He is now prime minister and is leading the team as the prime minister but quite rightly, rather than having a sort of jamboree of media and your whole entourage going, he wants to help people by getting the funding to them.”
He added that the Bellwin scheme – a system of of emergency financial assistance to help local authorities meet uninsurable costs – and 2,500 businesses hit by the floods would be helped.He added that the Bellwin scheme – a system of of emergency financial assistance to help local authorities meet uninsurable costs – and 2,500 businesses hit by the floods would be helped.
Rain fell heavily across northern and western parts of Britain overnight, said Mark Wilson, a Met Office forecaster, who added it was likely to continue until about 3pm on Thursday. Capel Curig village in north Wales received 54mm (2.12in) of rain in 24 hours, compared with an average of 97mm for the whole of February. The village of Shap in Cumbria, which recorded 120mm across February 2019, received 52mm before sunrise on Thursday.
The village of Capel Curig in north Wales received 54mm (2.12in) of rain in 24 hours, compared with an average of 97mm for the whole of February. The village of Shap in Cumbria, which recorded 120mm across February 2019, received 52mm before sunrise on Thursday. More weather warnings were likely on Friday with heavy rain expected across western Scotland, Yorkshire and parts of Cumbria. Gusts are also expected to strengthen on Friday.
But some relief would arrive later in the day, Wilson said. “The rain will clear through the west in the afternoon then through the south-east later,” he said. People can look forward to sunshine and showers later in the day, the forecaster added. The Met Office urged people to be mindful of warnings as they went 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,” the forecaster Mark Wilson said.
More weather warnings are likely on Friday 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. Fundraising efforts have continued for those affected, with communities in Wales starting collections.
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. On Wednesday, the actor Michael Sheen launched a campaign to raise money for those affected in Wales that raised half of its £10,000 goal within the first five hours.
The Environment Agency said England had already received 141% of its average February rainfall so far this month, adding that river levels in the Colne, Ribble, Calder, Aire, Trent, Severn, Wye, Lugg, and Derwent all set new records in recent days.
Fundraising efforts have continued for those affected by the floods, with multiple communities in Wales starting collections. On Wednesday, the actor Michael Sheen launched a campaign to raise money for affected communities in Wales, which raised half of its £10,000 goal within the first five hours.