Baby rescued from flooded car after Storm Bert sweeps across UK

The rail network is feeling the brunt of Storm Bert, with fallen trees and debris blocking routes up and down the UK.

A Southeastern train has struck a tree at Leigh.

The train company said: ‘Unfortunately damage has been caused to the train and it is unable to move until staff have attended and inspected.’

A father and his baby had a narrow escape after flash flooding in Todmorden, Calderdale.

The frightening incident happened after flooding submerged a road in the West Yorkshire market town along with the family car.

Paige Newsome said her partner Andre had to ‘to pull himself and our 11-month-old baby out of the car windows, whilst the water was flooding into the car.’

The mum praised Andre for his quick reaction during the ‘scary experience,’ but she called for the council to sort out the alleged flooding hotspots ‘asap.’

She claimed Calderdale Council have been ‘getting notified about this part of Woodhouse Road multiple times by the owners of the house next to where our car is parked.’

Paige added: ‘I cannot thank those owners enough for taking Andre and Luca into their home and helping them.’

Metro approached Calderdale Council for a comment.

Other roads in Todmorden are flooded as water levels rise on local rivers, including River Calder.

• Woodhouse Road remains closed
• Rochdale Road at Bell Holme, Walsden, is open but it is flooded and is covered in debris

The Royal Parks said all of its London parks will be closed today due to ‘severe wind gusts caused by Storm Bert.’

This includes all cafes, kiosks, park roads and cycleway, including at Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Regent’s Park.

The Changing of the Guard is also cancelled today.

Here is a full list of the closed parks.

• Hyde Park
• Kensington Gardens
• St James’s Park
• The Green Park
• Greenwich Park
• The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill
• Richmond Park
• Bushy Park
• Brompton Cemetery

Storm Bert has landed with a bang as the UK braces itself for winds of up to 70mph during the second day of rough weather.

See below how the storm is forming over the Atlantic Ocean.

Dozens of areas are expected to be hit by flooding after the combination of heavy rain and thawing snow.

The Environment Agency has issued 60 red flood warnings which means flooding is expected in these areas – the highest category – while flooding is possible at 174 other locations.

Here is a full list of locations with red flood alerts.

• Brimfield Brook at Orleton and Brimfield
• Doniford Stream in the Sampford Mill Farm area
• Ginge Brook between Steventon and Sutton Courtenay, including Milton and Drayton Mill areas
• Illey Brook at Halesowen
• Landford to Wade Bridge on the River Blackwater
• Middle Stour from Hammoon to Sturminster Marshall
• Midgelden Brook at Bacup Road – Gauxholme
• Pearl Brook at Horwich, area close to the river from Bridge Street and Old Station Park to the M61
• River Arrow at Kington
• River Axe (Lower) from Axminster to Axmouth
• River Axe (Upper) from Winsham to Axminster, including Chard Junction and Weycroft
• River Bovey at Bovey Tracey and Heathfield
• River Brit at Newtown, and Southgate Old Mill, Beaminster
• River Brue and Glastonbury Millstream from Lovington to Highbridge, low lying properties
• River Calder at Brearley and Luddenden Foot
• River Calder at Callis Bridge and Charlestown
• River Calder at Central Todmorden
• River Calder at Eastwood
• River Calder at Hebden Bridge – Mytholm and Hebble End
• River Calder at Horbury – The Strands
• River Calder at Todmorden from the Cricket Ground to the Railway Bridge
• River Calder at Todmorden – Harley Wood
• River Calder at Todmorden – Patmos Burnley Road
• River Calder from Todmorden to Eastwood
• River Clyst from Broadclyst to Clyst St. Mary
• River Dart from Buckfastleigh to Totnes, including Staverton
• River Darwen at Ewood and Waterfall in Blackburn
• River Dene at Walton
• River Isle at Ashford Mill and Ilford Bridges
• River Isle at Ilminster
• River Isle from Chard Reservoir to Hambridge not including Ilminster
• River Lew at Gribbleford Bridge and Hatherleigh
• River Lyd from Sydenham to Lifton
• River Okement at Brightley, Jacobstowe and Monkokehampton
• River Parrett (upper) from South Perrott to Thorney
• River Ribble at Samlesbury, around Brockholes Reserve and Lower Brockholes Quarry
• River Ribble at Walton-le-Dale, area from Fishwick Bottoms to Railway Bridge
• Rivers in Accrington and Oswaldtwistle
• Rivers Stour and Iwerne at Stourpaine
• River Stour at Mitford Bridge, Shipston on Stour and Tredington
• River Tamar from Greystone Bridge to Cotehele excluding Calstock
• River Taw (Middle) from Taw Bridge to Newnham Bridge
• River Teign (Lower) from Chudleigh to Kingsteignton
• River Teign (Upper) from Clifford Bridge to Chudleigh
• River Teme at Stanford Bridge
• River Torridge (Lower) from Dolton to Bideford, including Taddiport and Weare Giffard
• River Ure at Boroughbridge Camping and Caravanning Site
• River Vyrnwy at Maesbrook
• River Vyrnwy at Melverley
• River Weaver at Shrewbridge Lodge
• River Wye from Hay to Hereford
• River Yarty from Yarcombe to Axminster
• River Yeo at Mudford
• River Yeo from Sherborne to Yeovil
• Skirden Beck and Kirk Beck at Bolton by Bowland
• Upper Frome at Maiden Newton
• Upper Frome from Maiden Newton to Dorchester
• Walsden Water at Todmorden from Shade to Salford
• Walsden Water at Walsden
• Water Eaton Brook at Water Eaton

Storm Bert has more in store for today as heavy rain, flooding and winds sweep across the UK.

National Rail warned of disruption across the network which is set to affect routes well into Monday, including Sout Western Railway, Northern, Southern, Thameslink, Transport for Wales.

Here are some of the current issues affecting the South Western Railway routes alone.

• An obstruction on the track at Weybridge is forcing trains to run slower than usual on all lines, with delays expected at least until 9.30am
• A tree is blocking the railways between Cobham and Stoke D’abernon and Oxshott, and trains will be cancelled, delayed or revised until at least 10am
• A tree blocks the railway between Basingstoke and Farnborough on the main line so trains running between the stations face cancellations, delays and revisions until at least 10am
• A tree on the line between Reading and Basingstoke is blocking all trains at least until 11am today
• A tree on the line between Exeter Central and Honito means all lines are blocked, meaning services will be cancelled, delayed or revised until at least 12pm

Good morning and welcome back to today’s coverage of Storm Bert.

The violent weather is expected to bring more disruption, with milder temperatures causing the snow which covered the north of England and much of Scotland to melt, leading to flooding in many areas.

Dozens of red flood warnings have been issued in England, meaning flooding is expected and residents and business owners should ‘act now’, according to the Environment Agency (EA).

The Met Office said Storm Bert is likely to cause ‘dangerous coastal conditions’ and disruption across southern England and parts of Wales until 9pm with a yellow wind warning in place.

Thank you for joining Metro’s coverage on Storm Bert.

A man may have been swept away by floodwater in North Wales as police launch an urgent search.

The dog walker went missing around the River Conwy in Trefriw, with the surrounding field flooded in the heavy rain.

The alarm was raised by a family member shortly after 4pm when the alarm was raised by a family member, the Daily Post reports.

While the dog has been safely located, the man remains missing.

Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team said the melting ice and snow had combined with a high tide to raise water levels.

National Grid,which connects directly to homes in the Midlands, South West England and South Wales, said there were currently 4,345 properties without power.

Northern Powergrid said nearly 27,00 homes across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire have experienced power cuts earlier today.

In Ireland, ESB Networks said 11,000 customers remain without power, predominantly in counties Donegal, Sligo, Mayo and Galway.

People living in Wales have been told flooding is ‘imminent’ as 51 alerts have been issued across the nation.

Eight flood warnings are in place at the River Towy, River Cothi, River Tawe, River Severn and River Loughor.

Cape Curig in Gwynedd has seen the most rainfall since Storm Bert hit the UK yesterday, with 64.4mm recorded over the last 12 hours.

Ten people were also rescued from a landslide in Llangollen.

Five adults and five children had to be rescued from a house in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, near Llangollen in north Wales, following a landslide.

A North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said they are all being assessed by ambulance services away from the scene ‘somewhere warm’.

A further landslide has been reported in the area but it is understood no one has been affected.

Over the weekend, Wales is expected to face up to 75mm of rain widely, with 150mm possible in some areas.

A brave kitesurfer took to the sea as Storm Bert’s winds hit the UK.

He was lifted high into the air in Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands over the choppy waters.

Winds have measured up to 70mph in coastal areas, as melting snow and heavy rain cause flooding.

This meant the kitesurfer was able to try out some scary jumps over the waves as the wind pulled him along.

Shepherds Bush Station has been closed due to flooding.

Transport for London said: ‘The station is currently closed due to flooding.

‘Our emergency response unit will be working as quick as they can to get the station reopened.’

Rain covered London as Storm Bert swept across the UK.

Seven yellow weather warnings are in place today, with eight more tomorrow.

The Met Office has issued eight weather warnings for wind and rain tomorrow as Storm Bert sweeps across the UK.

Travel services have been disrupted and three people have been killed as the dangerous weather has brought some areas of the UK to a standstill.

Power outages have also been reported in London while people in Wales have been warned of potential flooding in their homes.

A man has died after a crash on the A45 in Northamptonshire today.

The drivers of a silver Toyota Corolla and a dark grey Hyundai i30 Active crashed into each other near Flore at 8.45am.

The driver of the Toyota, a man in his 40s, died at the scene.

The road is closed and it is not yet known if the death was caused by Storm Bert.

There has been disruption to flights at Newcastle Airport because of heavy snow caused by Storm Bert.

Tim Harding, 53, and his wife, Chona, 58, were due to fly at 9.15am with Dutch airline KLM to Amsterdam from Newcastle before flying with Delta airlines to Orlando, Florida, to meet their family in the US for Thanksgiving.

Tim said: ‘Going to the airport… it was sleeting all the way through then all of a sudden it started coming down.

‘There were about four or five snow ploughs on the runway and they just couldn’t clear it. It was windy and it was literally coming down really quick, so hard. In the space of two hours, it went from nothing to decimated.

‘The gritters were out continuously, the ploughs were out continuously, but it just wasn’t having an impact unfortunately.

‘I was surprised how quickly it came down and how much came down in a two-hour period. I haven’t seen that for a long time.’

A man has died in West Yorkshire after a car crashed into a wall during the early hours of this morning.

Police attended to the incident at just before 1am this morning in Shipley.

A blue Renault Captur, which had been travelling northeast towards Saltaire, collided with a wall.

West Yorkshire Police said: ‘The driver, a 34-year-old man from Bradford, was given emergency treatment but was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.’

The cause of the crash is unclear and police did not confirm if it is linked to Storm Bert.

Neighbours in the area described hearing a ‘loud crash’ and seeing a car that had ‘spun off the road’.

There has been 64.4mm of rainfall recorded in one area of Wales over the last 24 hours leading to flooding of areas.

Capel Curig in Gwynedd had seen the most rain since Storm Bert hit yesterday. 

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has issued a series of flood warnings and alerts across the country, with several bridges and roads closed.

Wales is expected to face up to 75mm of rain, with 150mm possible in some areas.

There have been gusts of 70mph in some coastal areas.