UK torrential rains kill two, leave over 100K without power

At least two people have been killed as stormy weather conditions continue to wreak havoc across the UK, leaving 150,000 homes without power and causing travel chaos.

Strong winds and torrential rains have swept southern England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland since early Monday and continue to disrupt people’s travel plans, with many struggling to make their way home or go away for Christmas holidays.

Fallen debris cluttered roads and railway tracks went underwater in various regions, leading to the cancellation of many train services as well as flights.

Rescue services have pulled the bodies of a man and a woman from swollen rivers hit by heavy downpours in Cumbria and North Wales.

Severe gales brought down cables, cutting off power to 9,000 homes in Berkshire and 3,000 in Cornwall amid a warning by the Environment Agency that “extremely dangerous” conditions posed a danger to life.

The agency also issued 34 flood warnings, of which 19 were in the southwest, and warned a further 200 regions to be on alert for isolated floods.

“A rapidly deepening area of low pressure is developing to the west of Ireland and is forecast to pass just to the northwest of the UK overnight and on Tuesday,” said Andy Page, the Met Office chief forecaster, adding, “This brings the potential for possible disruption to transport because of the strong winds and also localised flooding in some areas.”

Police in Cumbria warned people to stay clear of local rivers and lakes after the body of a man was recovered. The man, who has not yet been formally identified, was found after a huge search operation involving the Royal Air Force (RAF) and mountain rescue.

In a separate incident, a woman was pronounced dead after her body was recovered from a river at Nant Ffrancon in North Wales. Police said it was too early to release more information but that they had launched an investigation.

Trains in some parts of Britain were suspended until 10 am on Christmas Eve as the clean-up operation ran through the night.

The port of Dover was also closed as winds reached speeds of up to 58 mph, with a port spokesman saying, “Due to adverse weather conditions, the Port of Dover is currently closed. Passengers are advised to check with their ferry operator before travelling and consult our website or Twitter account for the latest information.”

Weather forecaster Meteogroup has raised the worrying prospect of a “fairly stormy” Friday, but adding that Christmas day should be free of torrential downpours or strong gales.