Major incident declared with more than 100 areas still at risk of flooding during Storm Bert

The situation caput has been asked to reappraisal ‘incompetence’ astatine the Met Office that led to a ‘clear underestimation’ of Storm Bert’s impact.

Alex Barros-Curtis told Steve Reed that warnings should person been ‘amber oregon red’.

Hundreds of homes were near nether water, roads were turned into rivers and winds of much than 80mph were recorded crossed parts of the UK.

More than 130 flood warnings and 160 alerts remained successful spot crossed the UK connected Monday.

Mr Barros-Curtis asked the Commons earlier today: ‘Can I inquire that the Secretary of State talk to his Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) colleagues to cautiously look into the relation of the Met Office here?

‘It is wide that their effect was dilatory and that determination was a wide underestimation of the interaction of Storm Bert.

‘They enactment it yellowish alternatively than amber oregon red. Our constituents person been fto down by this incompetence before, and it cannot support happening.’

Mr Reed replied: “‘In astir parts of the countries that were affected, warnings were fixed with capable clip for radical to hole and I would promote radical to motion up connected the Defra website, oregon the Environment Agency website for warnings and alerts if they unrecorded successful an country that could beryllium affected by flooding.

‘I’m alert of the peculiar interest that helium mentions regarding the Met Office, and I volition so beryllium speaking to colleagues successful DSIT arsenic they reappraisal the circumstances of that and look astatine however the concern tin beryllium improved for aboriginal events of this kind.’

A Met Office spokesperson said: ‘Storm Bert was good forecast, with archetypal signs of disruptive upwind signalled a week up and the archetypal warnings issued connected Wednesday November 20.

‘A fig of warnings were successful spot up of the strategy reaching the UK.

‘We enactment intimately with partners to measure the imaginable risks of utmost upwind and warnings covering Wales highlighted the imaginable for homes and businesses to flood with accelerated flowing oregon heavy floodwater possible, causing a information to life.

‘Observed rainfall totals were broadly successful enactment with the forecast and the terrible upwind warnings issued successful advance.’

The situation caput said that much flooding this week is ‘likely’ but its interaction ‘should beryllium little severe’ than has been seen.

He said: ‘Around 28,000 properties are being protected by Environment Agency flood defences.

‘Unfortunately, an estimated 107 properties person flooded crossed England, principally from stream and aboveground h2o flooding.’

Mr Reed besides described the flood defences they inherited from the erstwhile authorities arsenic being ‘in the worst information connected grounds pursuing years of underinvestment’.

He added: ‘Over 3,000 of our cardinal flood defences are beneath an acceptable standard.

‘That is wherefore we are investing £2.4billion implicit the adjacent 2 years to physique and support flood defences.’