Thursday, December 26, 2013

Britain braced for more storms

More storms ahead as thousands still without power

bbc Homes in Byfleet in Surrey have been threatened as the River Wey has risen

The Environment Agency is warning of further significant flooding in parts of southern England with heavy rain and high winds forecast across the UK.

Many rivers remain swollen after storms which led to power cuts and travel delays. Two severe flood warnings are in place on the Stour in Dorset.

About 1,000 homes in south-east and south-west England have been flooded.

Some 13,000 properties still have no power and engineers say some may not be reconnected until the end of the week.

UK Energy Networks said more customers had been connected during Thursday morning, as 24,000 had been without power first thing.

Some 4,869 homes in Kent were without power, with 1,672 in Surrey and 1,639 in Sussex, UK Power Networks said. Some 5,000 homes in Hampshire are still without power, Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution said.

Families who could stay in their homes found they had to hold Christmas by candlelight

The Energy Networks Association said problems remained for engineers working in heavily flooded parts of Kent, Sussex and Surrey.

Spokesman Tim Field said: "The nature of the work the engineers are having to do, the severity of the damage caused by the storm, also some very challenging conditions such as flooded roads and roads blocked by debris has made repairs much more difficult."

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said 11 people had been evacuated from houses on Boxing Day due to flooding in the Wey Meadow area of Weybridge in Surrey.

Judy Davis from Broad Oak near Rye in East Sussex has been without power since Monday, and as her house is entirely dependent on electricity she has "no shower, no hot water, no heat, no light, no television, no radio, no internet access".

Describing her Christmas dinner she said: "We made some toast on the wood burner, and we've got a little camping ring for tea and coffee so we had some scrambled egg, and we had a glass of wine with it and some chocolate cake for pudding. And very nice it was too."

The Met Office, meanwhile, is warning of another storm coming in from the Atlantic and expected to hit the UK on Thursday night into Friday.

It could bring an inch (2.5cm) of rain and gusts of up to 70 mph and is predicted to affect all parts of the UK except for the East Midlands and East Anglia.

BBC Weather said there was the potential for disruption, especially where ground was already saturated and in areas where high winds were combined with heavy rainfall.

It said the area of low pressure expected to bring the next band of weather was not as expected to be as deep as Monday's, which was one of the lowest pressures recorded on land in more than 120 years.

The Environment Agency also has over 55 flood warnings in place - signifying that flooding is "expected". It is warning of disruption on the River Medway in Kent, particularly around Aylesford and Millhall.

Spokesman Peter Fox said there were concerns about rivers Medway, Mole and the Stour in Kent, with Ashford and Canterbury particularly under threat from flooding in the next 24 hours.

The ongoing situation in Hildenborough, Tonbridge, Yalding and Guildford were "a real cause for concern," he added.

"The rain falling anywhere at the moment is going to hit saturated ground and even quite small amounts of rain can cause flooding. We are looking at 20-30 ml in this next weather system and if it falls on Kent and the South East it is going to be particularly problematic there," he said.

There are no longer any severe flood warnings - meaning there is a danger to life - in place.

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Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority says it may investigate Gatwick Airport over the disruption to Christmas Eve flights.

Thousands of people had their travel plans ruined after an electricity substation flooded. The airport has apologised, and says it is now operating a full schedule.

In Scotland, power has now been restored to all homes cut off after the gale force winds on Christmas Eve. At the height of the storm, 3,500 homes lost their electricity.

The number of flood warnings in Wales are falling, with three currently in place.

A spokesman for Natural Resources Wales said: "River levels in Wales are dropping following the prolonged periods of heavy rainfall that led to surface water flooding earlier this week.

"With further rain predicted for Friday, officers from Natural Resources Wales will be monitoring forecasts closely."

Meanwhile, the Met Office has officially declared that 2013 was not a white Christmas.

"Although a few of our automated weather stations recorded sleet or snow over some hills, Christmas this year was green for most of Britain rather than white," a statement said.

Collapsed road in Lower Kelly in Calstock, Cornwall Some 20 homes in the village of Calstock, Cornwall are without road access after sections of Lower Kelly collapsed
The River Medway The River Medway is very high in Maidstone after heavy rain in Kent
A submerged car at Iford Park Iford Bridge Home Park in Dorset was evacuated

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