UK flooding expert blasts 'something isn't working' despite Met Office's warning

Speaking successful the aftermath of Storm Bert and its flooding successful respective areas crossed the UK, Professor Hannah Cloke, of University of Reading, said changes successful the mode floods are warned should beryllium made

An urgent reappraisal into however flooding is warned needs to happen, according to a climate change expert.

Britain remains on precocious alert for much flooding pursuing devastation - and deaths - caused arsenic a effect of Storm Bert. Travel connected roads and railways has been disrupted by the downpours and homes person been destroyed, including caravans astatine a tract successful Northamptonshire.

Storm Bert lashed the UK with upwind gusts up to 80 mph implicit the play and arsenic overmuch arsenic 130mm (5.1 inches) of rainfall fell successful immoderate areas, causing immoderate rivers to overflow their banks and turning roads into waterways.

Weather warnings were issued for rainfall by the Met Office, which stated flooding was apt arsenic a effect of this. However, assemblage leaders expressed their astonishment astatine the floods, immoderate of which were the astir terrible successful the past 25 years.

And Professor Hannah Cloke, Professor of Hydrology astatine the University of Reading, says this shows changes request to beryllium made astatine however the nationalist is made alert flooding is likely. She said: "The information that we are seeing a assembly person successful Wales expressing his astonishment that floods occurred erstwhile the Met Office has issued a yellowish informing for rainfall shows thing isn't working. It could beryllium that the warnings were excessively cautious, oregon it could beryllium that adjacent elder radical connected the crushed don't decently recognize the accusation that they are being given."

A antheral successful his 80s died aft his car entered the h2o astatine a ford successful Lancashire connected Saturday, and a assemblage believed to beryllium that of a missing canine walker was recovered the aforesaid time adjacent the Afon Conwy stream successful northbound Wales.

With further flooding expected this week, peculiarly crossed the Midlands and East of England, Prof Cloke reminded Brits flood warnings are not the work of the Met Office - alternatively it's the Environment Agency.

"This tempest was good forecast, named respective days successful advance, and weather warnings were issued. It is problematic if radical don't instrumentality enactment due to the fact that a yellowish upwind informing is not seen arsenic concerning enough," the world continued.

"This highlights immoderate of the problems successful issuing alerts for utmost weather. People look to the Met Office for warnings, but the Met Office is not mandated to contented warnings for stream flooding. While the Met Office looks to the sky, we expect radical successful the mode of floods to recognize that their main hazard comes from the river. We expect them to recognize that flood warnings are not the work of the Met Office."

More than 130 flood alerts stay successful effect crossed England, Wales and Scotland, including a uncommon "danger to life" informing for the River Nene astatine Billing Aquadrome and adjacent concern parks successful Northamptonshire.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed told the House of Commons connected Monday: "Further flooding is sadly apt implicit the adjacent fewer days arsenic h2o levels emergence successful slower flowing rivers specified arsenic the Severn and the Ouse. The Environment Agency anticipates that immoderate impacts should beryllium little terrible than we’ve seen successful caller days."