Britons today faced major rail disruption due to severe flooding after one person died in a mudslide amid a month of rain and a ‘danger to life’ warning » from the Met Office.
Avanti West Coast has canceled services between Preston and Scotland after the River Caldew overflowed and flooded the tracks at Carlisle, blocking the West Coast Main Line in both directions. Avanti urged passengers: “Do not travel north of Preston. »
Other trains in the north of England have been canceled or delayed due to speed restrictions due to stormy weather, with routes affected by the northern warning including York to Blackpool, Leeds to Manchester, Bradford to Huddersfield and Hull to Halifax.
The damage will continue today, particularly in the North West which is under orange alert. A further month of rain is expected in 24 hours between 12pm yesterday and 12pm today – following the same figure in the previous 24 hour period.
Downpours led to some homes being flooded, and properties in Cumbria and Essex were evacuated – while sandbags were distributed in Harlow after sewers overflowed. The Environment Agency today imposed 20 flood warnings and 116 alerts for England.
The wettest place yesterday was Toddington in Bedfordshire, which received 79mm (3.1in) of rain in 24 hours – compared to the UK’s average rainfall for May of 71mm (2.0in) 8 inches).
As for the bank holiday weekend, Saturday will be dry with temperatures up to 21°C (70°F) in the south, but showers could return on Sunday and Monday.
It comes after North Yorkshire Police confirmed that one person had died following a mudslide in the village of Carlton-in-Cleveland just after 1pm yesterday.
Muddy conditions in the Oxfordshire countryside this morning after heavy rain in Dunsden
The Environment Agency has today imposed 20 flood warnings (red) and 116 alerts (orange).
The Met Office said the area had received almost a month’s worth of rain over the past day, with 41.6 mm (1.6 inches) recorded in the last 24 hours in Loftus, a town 20 miles away.
Simon Partridge, forecaster at the Met Office, said: “The average monthly rainfall for May in North Yorkshire is 57.5mm, so they have had almost a month’s worth of rainfall.
Carlisle, in Cumbria, also saw significant rainfall, with 65.6mm (2.6 inches) falling in the previous 24 hours.
The Environment Agency has issued a severe flood warning for the Rivers Roe and Ive, from Highbridge to Stockdalewath, south of Carlisle. The warning says flooding will be rapid due to rapidly rising water levels.
Cumbria Police said a number of properties had been affected in the Stockdalewath area, with one property evacuated.
Chief Superintendent Mick Bird said a multi-agency co-ordination group had been set up overnight to deal with localized flooding in the area.
“Emergency services responded throughout the night to rescue calls following persistent rain, which caused flooding in parts of the county,” he said.
“The flooding is small and the public can be reassured that the weather forecast should be much more favorable throughout the day.
“We expect some impact to spread into inland Cumbria with floodwaters in parts of the county.”
A total of 20 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, have been issued across England, including one in Scotland.
Mr Partridge said there was still “a long way to go” before the rain stopped, and wet weather was expected to continue in the area until this evening.
A driver negotiates a flooded road amid heavy rain in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, yesterday
Water is seen rushing across Brown’s Lane ford at Holme Hale, Norfolk, yesterday
Heavy rain hits Cambridge yesterday as UK experiences heavy downpours
Motorists in the rain on the northbound M5 between the South West and the Midlands yesterday
An orange rain warning was in force for parts of north Wales and north-west England, including Manchester and Liverpool, since midday yesterday.
A yellow rain warning covered the north of England, the Midlands and north and mid Wales until 6am today, while another was in place for the south and mid Wales. east of Scotland until 6pm today.
Rapid or deep floodwaters likely to cause “danger to life” were likely, the Met Office warned.
Heavy rain could also lead to delays and cancellations of public transport services, difficult driving conditions and power outages, the forecaster said.
Neil Armstrong, Met Office chief meteorologist, said: “A band of prolonged and heavy rain will move north and west across the UK on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Areas exposed to strengthening northerly winds are most likely to see the highest rainfall amounts, with a chance that some areas, particularly on the higher ground in North Wales, will see more than 150 mm, and parts of northwest England see more than 80mm.
People under umbrellas in the rain on Newcastle docks near the Tyne Bridge yesterday
Roads in the Romford area of east London were flooded yesterday following heavy rain.
A vintage Porsche 356 kicked up floodwaters near Mountsorrel in Leicestershire yesterday.
A man walks in heavy rain in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire yesterday as downpours continue
“Many places could receive 30-40mm of rain, while a few areas could receive 60-80mm. Higher areas in the Amber Alert zones could see more than a month’s worth of rain before the low spreads later Thursday.
On wet weather safety, Mr Partridge said: “While it might not seem too bad when you leave the house, it could become a lot heavier once you’re out and about, so the best thing is to plan your trips and if you don’t I don’t need to go – the best advice is to try to avoid it.
“Keep an eye on your local Environment Agency warnings, which are just as important as ours.”
He added that the forecast for the upcoming bank holiday weekend looked “uncertain”, but the weather appeared to be “improving”.
dailymail us
