Man dies after being swept away in river as Storm Bert causes flooding across UK

A body has been found in the search for a dog walker who went missing in floodwater as Storm Bert continued to cause disruption across the UK.

The second named storm of the season has brought more than 80% of November’s average monthly rainfall in less than 48 hours, with more than 100 flood warnings still in place in England, Scotland and Wales.

The body has not been formally identified but Mr Perry’s family has been informed.

In a statement on Facebook on Sunday afternoon, Chief Inspector Simon Kneale of North Wales Police said: “I would like to thank the efforts of all agencies involved in the searches in very difficult conditions and for the local community who supported the teams in the area.

“Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time and they have asked that their privacy is respected.”

Another man died after his car entered water at a ford on Cockhill Lane, in Foulridge, Colne, Lancashire, on Saturday afternoon.

The man, in his 80s, was taken to hospital where he later died, Lancashire Police said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.

It is unclear if the incident was related to Storm Bert.

Meanwhile, a major incident has been declared in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area of South Wales, which has been one of the worst-hit areas with 80% of a month’s rain falling in less than 48 hours.

Between two and three hundred properties have been affected by flooding in the area, while the Environment Agency (EA) estimates 80 properties in England have flooded so far.

At a press conference in Pontypridd on Sunday afternoon, council leader Andrew Morgan said the weather was worse than forecast.

“I am amazed that it was only a yellow weather warning issued,” he said.

“We absolutely thought on Saturday… we were preparing for the possibility of an amber warning.

“It didn’t come but we took the decision ourselves to step up our resources and have depots open and crews in.

“I am surprised there wasn’t a red warning issued. During Storm Dennis we saw an amber warning in advance and a red warning issued in the early hours. I do think that will need to be reviewed shortly.”

Since the storm began in the early hours of Saturday, 149mm of rain has fallen in Tyn-Y-Waun in Mid Glamorgan, Wales.

On average, the area sees 180mm of rain in the whole of November, Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said.

In England, 135.7mm of rain has been recorded from the beginning of the storm until 11am on Sunday in White Barrow in Devon, which is around half of the total rainfall typical in November.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Significant river and surface water flooding is possible in parts of England on Sunday, especially in the South West, the West Midlands, and the Calder Valley in the North of England due to heavy rain and recent snowmelt.

“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding and will support local authorities in their response.”

People are being told to stay away from swollen rivers and urged not to drive through flood water.

West Midlands Fire Service said its crews rescued a person trapped in a car stranded in floodwater in Walsall on Sunday morning.

The storm is continuing to cause disruption across the UK this afternoon and wind warnings remain in place with gusts of up to 70mph forecast for exposed areas.

As windy conditions persist, some attractions have been closed. Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland is closed on Sunday and all of London’s Royal Parks, including Greenwich Park and Primrose Hill, are shut.

More than 300 flights set to depart from UK airports were cancelled during Storm Bert, aviation analytics firm Cirium said.

The national weather service has warned of very strong winds on Sunday which it says are likely to bring disruption to transport, and dangerous coastal and marine conditions.

Greater Anglia, which operates trains from London Liverpool Street to Stanstead Airport, cancelled 52 services on Sunday afternoon as fallen trees damaged the railway’s overhead electric wires.

Three men died on the roads during Storm Bert on Saturday, including a man in his 60s who was killed after a tree fell on a car on the A34 near Winchester.

A 34-year-old man died in a single-vehicle collision in Shipley, West Yorkshire, while a man in his 40s died in a crash on the A45 near Flore, Northamptonshire.

It is unclear if the incidents were related to Storm Bert.