60MPH storms batter Britain

DEVASTATING downpours brought parts of Britain to a standstill yesterday as experts issued at least 23 emergency weather alerts. After an unusually mild and sunny start to the autumn, the heavy rains came with a vengeance. And there is worse to come. By this morning, said the Met Office, almost six inches of rain were expected to have fallen overnight, more than would be normal for the whole of October. The South-west took the brunt of it yesterday. Almost two inches of torrential rain fell in just two hours in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Sea walls were pounded by huge waves whipped up by gale-force winds of 60mph. Six people were injured when a low-hanging tree branch ripped the roof off a double decker bus during morning rush hour in Bristol. In Devon the seafront resort of Torquay had to be closed to traffic. Main roads including the A30 between Exeter and Okehampton were submerged and an elderly motorist was rescued after his car was stranded in floodwater in Plymouth. In south Wales – where two inches of rain fell in just an hour – there were warnings of flooding on low-lying land. Parts of the region were cut off as roads were flooded and sandbags deployed. The Environment Agency last night issued a flood warning for Scarborough on the North Sea coast of Yorkshire. There were another 19 slightly less serious flood alerts in place across Britain. A spokesman said: “People in Cornwall, Devon and Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Swansea should prepare for the possibility of flooding by checking the latest situation on the Environment Agency’s website and by listening to local media. “The agency has been working around the clock, liaising with emergency services, clearing drains and checking flood defences.” The agency said tidal gates would remain closed in Devon, Plymouth, and Cornwall. As the area braced itself for torrential downpours overnight, a spokesman added: “Half-term visitors as well as local communities will need to remain vigilant over the next 12 hours.” The Met Office also issued a severe weather warning for Scotland. Forecaster Helen Chivers said: “People should be prepared for the eventuality of flooding in the South-west, south Wales and Northern Ireland and keep updated with our weather warnings and the Environment Agency’s flood warnings. “Heavy rain will have moved north to Scotland on Tuesday. “There will be a mixture of sunshine and showers for other parts, although there could be heavy rain in the South again on Wednesday night.” Jonathan Powell, of Positive Weather Solutions, said the South-west would continue to be battered by heavy rain. He said: “It can really look forward to some more heavy downpours as the week goes on. “By mid-week we should start to see the rain come down from the mountains which could see the worst effects as it presents itself en masse.” Heavy winds are also set to persist until the weekend, he warned, when another severe weather system is set to bash the country. He added: “This is set to go on for weeks. After next weekend another system that looks worse is set to hit the UK.”