Storm Bert disruption continues as full impact of treacherous weather emerges

Storm Bert volition proceed to bring disruption into Monday aft torrential downpours caused “devastating” flooding implicit the weekend.

Hundreds of homes were near underwater, roads were turned into rivers and winds of up to 82mph were recorded crossed parts of the UK.

The past of the Met Office’s rainfall warnings ended astatine 11.59pm connected Sunday but beardown winds persist and rainfall from precocious crushed volition scope rivers, which could disrupt clean-up efforts.

More than 200 flood alerts stay successful spot for England and Wales and question issues are acceptable to proceed into the caller week.

South Wales volition beryllium counting the outgo of the tempest aft a large incidental was declared successful the Rhondda Cynon Taf portion connected Sunday amid fears of a much important interaction than during Storm Dennis successful 2020.

Between 200 and 300 properties successful the country were affected by flooding, with section leaders expressing astonishment astatine the grade of the rainfall.

Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan said it had been “a truly hard weekend”.

She said: “I deliberation this is the 2nd clip that galore of those person suffered arsenic a effect of the storm.

“There’s been immense investments since the past tempest hit, truthful we’ve managed to support tons much properties than past time.

“But evidently this is perfectly devastating conscionable earlier Christmas for those radical who person been impacted.”

At a property league successful Pontypridd connected Sunday afternoon, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council person Andrew Morgan said helium was “amazed” that lone a yellowish upwind informing had been issued by the Met Office.

“On Saturday we were preparing for the anticipation of an amber warning,” helium said.

“It didn’t travel but we took the determination ourselves to measurement up our resources and person depots unfastened and crews in.

“I americium amazed determination wasn’t a reddish informing issued. During Storm Dennis we saw an amber informing successful beforehand and a reddish informing issued successful the aboriginal hours. I bash deliberation that volition request to beryllium reviewed shortly.”

In North Wales, a assemblage was recovered successful the hunt for 75-year-old Brian Perry, who went missing portion walking his canine during the tempest connected Saturday adjacent the Afon Conwy river.

Another man, who was successful his 80s, died aft his car entered h2o astatine a ford connected Cockhill Lane successful Foulridge, Colne, Lancashire, connected Saturday afternoon. It was unclear if the incidental was straight related to Storm Bert.

The Met Office forecast that rainfall successful the south-east of England volition wide connected Monday but blustery showers could instrumentality astir for the north-west.

Rail passengers person been urged not to question betwixt Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and Stansted Airport aft aggregate fallen trees damaged the electrical overhead wires.

Major disruption is expected until 2pm connected Monday.

Southern, which runs obstruction services crossed the south-east of England, said immoderate services connected Monday volition beryllium cancelled oregon revised due to the fact that of forecast terrible weather, including connected its London web and the West Coastway betwixt Havant and Southampton.

Services crossed different obstruction companies could commencement aboriginal than mean arsenic tracks which were flooded oregon deed by fallen trees are inspected.

On Sunday night, immoderate large roads were closed owed to the ongoing impacts of flooding.

The M32 successful Bristol was closed northbound betwixt J1 adjacent Hambrook and the M4 J19, and the A49 successful Shropshire and Herefordshire was closed successful some directions betwixt Ludlow and Holmer.

Some 350,000 homes successful England mislaid powerfulness during the storm, though astir person since been reconnected.

More than 300 flights acceptable to depart from UK airports were cancelled during Storm Bert, aviation analytics steadfast Cirium said.

Heathrow Airport was worst affected, with crosswinds of up to 40mph causing disruption to departures and arrivals connected Sunday.

Simon Brown, services manager astatine the Met Office, said: “Our thoughts are with those who are presently affected with the impacts caused by Storm Bert successful South Wales, arsenic good arsenic the remainder of the country.

“As ever with a named storm, a afloat appraisal of the forecast and informing strategy volition instrumentality spot with our partners.

“But this appraisal is carried retired post-event, truthful I would expect this to instrumentality spot implicit the coming days.

“Storm Bert was good forecast, 48 hours successful advance, with a fig of warnings successful spot up of the strategy reaching the UK.

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