Worst storm to hit Britain in 30 years

Videos

BBC News - UK Newcastle flats unstable after floods 2012

see larger video

sourced by liamssoft

• 

  Created by liamssoft | add comment

• 

  Created by liamssoft | add comment

• 

  Created by liamssoft | add comment

• 

  Created by liamssoft | add comment

• 

  Created by liamssoft | add comment

• 

  Created by liamssoft | add comment

• 

  Created by liamssoft | add comment

• 

  Created by liamssoft | add comment

• 

  Created by liamssoft | add comment

• 

  Created by liamssoft | add comment

A mighty deluge brought a month's rainfall in just 24 hours - and led forecasters to declare it the worst storm to hit Britain in 30 years.

A block of flats is precariously perched on stilts on an estate in Newburn, Newcastle, its foundations washed away by the waterfall which formed after the road outside turned into a river.

The torrential downpours have caused more than 300 homes to flood across the country since Sunday, including in Morpeth, Durham, Chester-le-Street and Stockton on Tees, but are expected to ease off throughout today.

However, there are still 75 flood warnings and 123 flood alerts which remain in place, the Environment Agency said. 

The Met Office said an area of low pressure measuring 973 millibars had been recorded near the coast of the north east of England making the bad weather the most intense September storm for 30 years.

Sea of white: Stormy weather in Aberdeen has caused the sea to foam up and completely cover cars and houses in the Footdee fishing village

Meanwhile, emergency services dealt with hundreds of call-outs yesterday as people were left stranded by floodwaters and overflowing rivers surged into homes and businesses.

Among the victims were elderly residents at a council care home in North Yorkshire who had to be carried to safety by firefighters after it became swamped by 3ft of water.

MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said Ravensworth in North Yorkshire had seen the highest amount of rain, with 131mm recorded since the start of the heavy downpours on Sunday night.

Some 93mm of rain had fallen in Leeming, North Yorkshire, which is almost double the average rainfall for the village in September (50mm).

Rhyl, north Wales, had recorded 95mm of rain since Sunday, while Northern Ireland has also seen heavy downpours.

The Met Office said many places have had between 50mm and 70mm (2in to 2.8in) in the past 48 hours.

Source: dailymail.co.uk