UK weather: Hundreds urged to flee homes after flood warnings as Britain braces for Storm Bella drenching

One family was forced to abandon their Christmas turkey and settle for turkey sandwiches at a hotel after leaving their home
A flood warning sign at the entrance to a flooded car park beside Tewkesbury Abbey
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April Roach @aprilroach2826 December 2020

Hundreds of people have been warned to evacuate their homes as the UK prepares for heavy rain, flooding and severe gales from Storm Bella.

Bedfordshire Police “strongly urged” 1,300 households residents living near the River Great Ouse in north Bedfordshire to seek alternative accommodation on Christmas Day due to flood risks, amid warnings that the storm will bring downpours and 70mph winds.  

Superintendent Steve Ashdown, who is leading the response, acknowledged that the timing of the evacuation was not ideal. But he warned Bedfordshire residents that the risk to their wellbeing was "significant”.

“The river is currently at heightened levels and we’re predicting a significant flooding event by 8pm this evening,” he said in a video on Twitter.

“If you received one of those notices last night, you are in one of those properties that are most at risk from this flood. We would encourage you to leave if it is safe for you to do so, as soon as you are able to do so.”

Superintendent Ashdown asked residents able to leave their homes to do so in a “Covid-safe way” if possible.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service personnel work during evacuation of residents amid flooding in Bedfordshire
Befordshire Fire and Rescue Service via REUTERS

He recommended they go to one single location and stay there until it is safe to return in the coming days.

Bedfordshire Fire Control said its crews rescued nine people and three dogs from a “severely” flooded property in Harrold on Christmas Day morning.

The area’s fire chief said telling people they needed to leave their home at Christmas was “a terrible message to deliver”.

Paul Fuller, chief fire officer at Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, told BBC News: “It is of course a dreadful thing when we’ve faced all these months of difficulty and restriction.”

He added: “The peak in Bedford has now passed it seems, but the towns and villages further down stream are still at risk.”

Flood water surrounds The Barn Hotel in Bedford
PA

Clare Devany, 38, husband James Hodgson, 43, and their daughters, aged four and five, spent Christmas Day moving furniture to the top floor of their house in Bedford, before leaving to spend the night in a hotel in nearby Peterborough.

“You don’t realise how much stuff you have in a house until you have to move it,” Ms Devany told the PA news agency.

“You walk around and you just have to work out what to sacrifice. For us, that was things like the TV, because it was mounted and we didn’t have time to take it down, the living room cabinets. It’s furniture, it’s not the end of the world.”

She said the day was a festive “write off” after the family were visited by police at 10.30pm on Christmas Eve and advised to leave.

“They said Covid is a non-issue,” said Ms Devany. “At that point, we started to get really concerned. Because they said, go anywhere – you can go to Tier 2 if you need to.

“With the way things have been going, it was a bit of an eye-opener, because it has been all-consuming the last few weeks, going from Tier 2 to 3 to 4. With total lockdown and being so careful, and them turning up at the door and saying ‘that doesn’t matter now, get out’.

“We put the turkey in the oven and had turkey sandwiches at the hotel last night, but it really has been a panic.”

After spending Friday night at the hotel, the family returned home when flood waters receded by a few inches.

Forecasters have warned that Storm Bella will bring severe gales of up to 70mph in coastal locations of the UK on Boxing Day.

The Met Office said 15-25mm is likely to fall in Wales and south-west England, and up to 40-60mm over some hills.

Further rain is expected on Sunday and Monday and Bedfordshire is one of three under a severe flood warning, meaning a danger to life, along with the Cogenhoe Mill caravan site and Billing Aquadrome Holiday Park, both on the River Nene in Northamptonshire.

Bella, which follows relatively calm and cold conditions across the UK on Friday and early morning snowfall recorded in some areas, has led to the Met Office issuing an amber wind warning, which warns travel could be disrupted, for parts of south Wales and across southern England on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a yellow warning of wind for the whole of England and Wales as well as the far south of Scotland has also been issued and will be in force from 3pm on Boxing Day.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service personnel work in floodwaters in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service via REUTERS

In addition to the strong winds, the Met Office said a period of heavy rain will affect western and southern areas on Boxing Day.

A yellow warning for rain has been issued for parts of Scotland, Wales and much of north and south west England on Saturday, including areas where there has already been flooding from recent downpours.

In Ireland, Met Eireann issued a country-wide status yellow wind and rain warning, in force until 4am on Sunday.

As of 5am, England has 78 flood warnings and 99 flood alerts, two flood warnings and five flood alerts are in force in Wales, and seven warnings and 13 alerts have been issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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