Britons hit by record January rainfall as Storm Chandra causes travel chaos and flooding
As parts of the country braced for icy weather on Wednesday morning, Storm Chandra flooded many roads in the UK, hundreds of schools were closed and dozens of flights were cancelled.
As the storm broke daily rainfall records for January, motorists were urged to check for road closures and avoid traveling on flooded roads.
The south-west of England was among the worst-hit areas after two serious flood warnings were issued in Devon and Dorset on Tuesday and fire crews were called to rescue scores of people from their vehicles.
On Tuesday night Somerset Council declared a major incident for “widespread flooding”, saying an estimated 50 properties were still affected by flooding in Ilminster, West Coker, Taunton, Mudford and West Camel.
This comes just before the Met Office issued yellow warnings for ice covering much of England and Northern Ireland on Wednesday morning. There is also a yellow weather warning for rain in south-west England on Thursday; more rain could potentially lead to more flooding and transportation disruption.
Richard Foord, Liberal Democrat MP for Honiton and Sidmouth, described the flood situation as “truly appalling”. “The Otter River has reached its highest level ever recorded. The Environment Agency has issued a serious flood warning for the Otter River, meaning possible danger to life,” he said.
As of Tuesday evening, there were 93 flood warnings in place across England, meaning flooding was expected, while 237 flood warnings meant flooding was possible. Additionally, 17 flood warnings and two flood warnings have been issued in Wales, and eight flood warnings and three flood warnings have been issued across Scotland.
The Met Office has confirmed that Storm Chandra caused new daily rainfall records to be set in January in several parts of the country, including Katesbridge, Northern Ireland, which saw 100.8mm of rain.
The storm caused travel chaos in Scotland and Northern Ireland on Tuesday, with dozens of flights canceled. Ferry services and train journeys have also been affected throughout the day and many roads remain closed.
The first life-threatening flood warning was issued at Ottery St Mary in Devon at 5.49am on Tuesday as the River Otter at Fenny Bridges reached its highest recorded level, surpassing the previous record set in December 2000. This warning has now been removed.
A second life-threatening warning was issued for the Upper Frome area in Dorchester on Tuesday afternoon, where floodwater is expected to flow deep and fast.
Firefighters in Devon have rescued 25 people from vehicles so far. Earlier, a spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said there was “significant surface water and areas of flooding” in the area and warned motorists in Exeter, East and Mid Devon not to travel.
They said: “We are experiencing an increase in reports of people facing floodwaters. Please do not attempt to drive through. The weather is improving but rivers are still responding to early heavy rainfall.”
In Somerset, mayor Bill Revans, declaring a major incident, said: “We know many communities have been affected and our thoughts go out to anyone experiencing flooding. We had crews working throughout the night and continue to respond to many reports of roads remaining impassable. Please avoid travel if you can and never attempt to drive through floodwater.”
In the Republic of Ireland, energy provider ESB reported that approximately 20,000 homes, farms and businesses were left without power. Northern Ireland Electricity said outages peaked at 9am, when around 10,000 properties were left without power.
More than 350 schools have been confirmed to be closed in Northern Ireland, 47 in Devon, and a woman was taken to hospital after a tree fell on her car in the Snowhill Road area of Lisbellaw.
Chris Wilding, the Environment Agency’s flood task manager, said: “Environment Agency teams are taking action to reduce the impact of flooding and support affected communities.
“We would urge people not to drive through floodwater – the water is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.”
