Storm Bert has been raging through the UK since Friday, and experts say there’s more carnage to come. So far, the mixture of high winds, snow and rain have claimed the lives of three people, with another person currently missing.
On Saturday, police and ambulance crews were called to the A34 southbound carriageway, between Kings Worthy and Winnal after reports emerged that a car was hit by a falling tree. Once there, a 60-year-old man driving a black Mercedes E350 was confirmed dead at the scene.
Elsewhere, another crash took a 34-year-old man in Shipley, West Yorkshire, when his blue Renault Capture smashed into a wall due to icy roads. Yesterday, Northamptonshire Police reported that a man died in a two-car collision on the A45 near Flore at 8.20 in the morning.
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(Image: MEN Media)
Meanwhile, a search is expected to resume this morning for a missing runner close to Afon Conwy in the Trefriw area in North Wales.
The man’s dog has been located, but the man could not be seen even after hours of searching.
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A spokesman for the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team said team members gathered in Trefriw and joined the search effort in extremely challenging conditions. They said the combination of the rain, melting ice and snow and the high tide had left water levels very high.
The team searched with the emergency services for a number of hours – with inflatable boats used to search around the river. But the man has not been found.
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The chaos did not stop there, however, when 10 people – including five children – were rescued from a landslide in Wales. In Capel Curig, Snowdonia, the national park was battered with 79.8mm of rain water. The Scottish highlands got a wave of below freezing temperatures, with Kinbrace, in the Highlands, reaching lows of -12.4 degrees celsius.
Adding to this, several homes have been left without power. Including 4,000 homes affected in the Midlands, south-west England and South Wales. As for the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, 27,000 customers were left stranded with no electricity or WiFi services.
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But it’s not done yet, say experts, who warn Storm Bert is staying for a while. The west of England is said to have severe flooding on the way, which will leave several roads closed.
The Met Office added that the south-west of England will see more rain into Sunday, with a chance that some places over Dartmoor could see 100-150mm of rainfall.
(Image: Met Office)
As the storm moves to the south west of England, strong winds can be expected over the area, as well as Wales. Travel disruptions from trains and boats will continue into next week.
Ferry operator DFDS has already cancelled services on some routes until Monday, including its Newhaven to Dieppe sailings.
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