Storm Babet Recap: Three dead across UK | Plane skids off Leeds Bradford runway | Red warnings in force
As England, Wales and Northern Ireland faced warnings about heavy rain, Scotland continued to bear the brunt with flood defences in the town of Brechin being breached early on Friday.
Marykirk and Edzell are also badly effect with power out across the region. Flooding has also hit Dundee and dramatic images show the extent of the storm at Stonehaven.
Storm Babet in Scotland Latest
Key Events
Signing off, stay safe everyone
Thanks for following all the latest news an updates from across Scotland with me, Joshua King. I hope you have a peaceful weekend despite the weather. Stay safe out there.
Third death during Storm Babet confirmed
West Mercia Police said a man in his 60s died after getting caught in fast-flowing flood water from a brook that breached a road in Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire on Friday morning.
The force said members of the public reported a man went under the water shortly before 10.40am.
Officers from West Mercia Police and Shropshire Fire and Rescue quickly attended but he was found dead at 12.35pm.
Formal identification has yet to take place but the family have been informed and are being supported by officers.
Keep up to date
The Scotsman brings you all the news, opinion, sport and perspective Scotland has to offer.
Round up of Scotsman coverage
Our reporters along with colleagues at our sister titles as well as from the Press Association have been hard at work reporting all the latest developments as Storm Babet hit the UK. Here's a look at what we know:
- 'Devastation' in Angus as people rescued by boat and scores lose homes and belongings - Alison Campsie
- Scottish minister pays tribute to flood victim as Brechin defences breached and says 'we are not through this yet' - Rachel Amery
Woman evacuated from home she had moved into just hours earlier
A woman was evacuated from her home in Brechin just hours after she had moved in as the area was hit with an unprecedented level of flooding over the last two days, reports PA.
Terri Masson, 33, only moved into her home in the Angus town’s Meikle Mill on Thursday and had not even had a chance to make a cup of tea and unpack her belongings before she was told by the council at about 4.30pm she would have to evacuate.
The mother-of-five asked friends from Montrose to come and collect her from the town and was anxiously waiting outside her property on Friday morning waiting for the all clear to go back in and collect items for her family including her youngest daughter.
“I moved in yesterday and was in not even two hours and got told to evacuate,” she told the PA news agency.
She added: “I hadn’t even unpacked my stuff, nothing.
“I had just started to unpack and they came to the door and they were like, ‘you have to go’. We left about quarter past five.
“I had to get my friends to come and get us. I had to leave all the nappies for my daughter so I’m waiting to get back in. Her pram is still in there too.
“I knew Brechin could flood when the weather is bad but I’ve never been in the middle of something like this.
“It was scary for the kids – we got out as quick as we could.”
Ms Masson said she had not yet met any of her new neighbours so was unaware of what had happened to them and said she and her family would have to remain at her mother’s home in Montrose until she could return to her home.
Asked if she had been given any idea of when she might be able to get back into her property, she said: “They have just said to wait over here. I think someone is making up a plan.”
Reminder - Red warning for rain issued
The weather has been brutal these past 24 hours but officials expect there will be more to follow. A reminder for our readers that a further red warning is in force.
Football matches postponed in Scotland
Two cinch Premiership matches are among six Scottish league games which have been postponed amid severe weather warnings, confirms Scotsman Sports Editor Mark Atkinson.
News from elsewhere
Scotland isn't alone in being battered by Storm Babet. Let's look across the border...
Rail services cancelled across Scotland
Train operator ScotRail has warned disruption to services could last until Sunday due to the impact of Storm Babet.
Routes that are currently closed will not re-open unless it is deemed safe to do so.
The routes affected are between:
– Aberdeen and Elgin.
– Edinburgh and Aberdeen via Fife.
– Perth and Aberdeen via Dundee.
– Dunblane and Perth.
– Perth and Aviemore.
– Tain and Wick / Thurso.
– All Fife Circle services.
ScotRail said it is taking longer than expected for engineers to inspect routes for damage due to the impact of the weather. Customers have been warned they should only travel if necessary on routes affected. Services between Glasgow Queen Street and Aberdeen/Inverness, and between Edinburgh Waverley and Aberdeen/Inverness are also subject to disruption.
Other routes across the network are still being impacted by precautionary speed restrictions, meaning services may be subject to delay or cancellation.
Latest from Sepa's flood duty manager
Pascal Lardet, Flood Duty Manager at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency provides an update on what's happening across Scotland.
Yorkshire Post reporting on Leeds Bradford Airport incident
Colleagues at our sister paper The Yorkshire Post are updating us on the incident
A plane has skidded off of the runway while landing at Leeds Bradford Airport during Storm Babet, writes Charles Gray.
Fiona Marr, who went to the airport to watch some of the planes land with her nine-year-old son, said that the plane was visibly affected by the winds and “landed almost sideways” at “about 1.40pm”.
Footage from scene as Tui flight skids off runway
Sky News brings report on plane which left the runway at Leeds Bradford airport in Storm Babet winds
No injuries reported at Leeds Bradford airport
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said there were no reported injuries on the plane which came off the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport, and no fire.
A spokesperson said: “(Our) command unit has now been stood down, and remaining crews are now assisting in evacuating all persons from the aircraft to the terminal.”
Plane skids off runway in Storm Babet winds
A passenger plane has come off the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport while landing in windy conditions, reports PA.
An airport spokesperson said: “We can confirm TUI flight TOM3551 arriving from Corfu at LBA this afternoon has moved off the runway whilst landing.
“We are working with the airline, relevant operations teams and emergency authorities to address this situation and remove passengers from the aircraft safely.”
Storm Babet updates from the rest of the UK
Suffolk has declared a major incident as Storm Badet causes major flooding, the local authority said.
In an update on its website, Suffolk County Council urged residents not to travel unless “absolutely necessary”.
---
West Midlands Fire Service (WMAS) has urged people not to drive through flood water after a car was pushed 30 metres down a fast-flowing river in Northfield, Birmingham.
The driver, a man believed to be in his early 40s, had attempted to pass through a ford in The Mill Walk at around 8.30am on Friday, WMAS said.
---
Reminder of what First Minister Humza Yousaf had to say
Mr Yousaf posted on his social media page this morning.
Latest from Alison Campsie on Angus situation
More than 60 people were rescued in the early hours of this morning, including by boat, as Storm Babet holds its grip on Angus, writes Alison Campsie.
Emergency response teams are braced for worsening conditions over the weekend as a further red alert was issued for the area on Saturday and high water levels show no signs of receding.
Jacqui Semple, manager of risk, resilience and safety at Angus Council, gave the latest picture on the ground, saying flooding was now hitting homes in Dundee.
Brechin remains amongst the worst hit, with Marykirk now engulfed with water and Edzell cut off as the North Esk inundates.
Ms Semple said people from 60 households were rescued from Brechin in the early hours of Friday morning, including some who had chosen to remain in their homes following an evacuation order the previous day. Rescuers have also reached people living around Marykirk, with a rest centre now set up in Edzell to deal with those impacted by the storm.
Ms Semple said there was a sense of “devastation” among those she had encountered at the rest centre at Brechin. An appeal was launched on Friday morning for warm clothing after people started arriving in “soaking clothes”. More than 50 people are being cared for there at present, with the number expected to rise.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.