Six dead in UK as heavy rain continues
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City Guides_ Norwich
* Perilous Times and Global Warming *
*
Six dead in UK as heavy rain continues*
By Nigel Bunyan
Last Updated: 2:16am BST 29/06/2007
# More bad weather forecast
# Telegraph five-day forecast for your area
# Met Office weather warnings
# In pictures: Underwater Britain
# Video: Residents assess the damage to their homes
Britain was on a renewed flood alert last night as the continuing relief
operation was described as the biggest seen in peace time.
Flood waters surround the sign welcoming visitors to Upton upon Severn
Flood waters surround a sign welcoming visitors to Upton upon Severn
More severe rainstorms are expected to sweep the country in the next few
days. The Met Office is warning that up to 50mm - two inches - of rain
could fall in parts of the country tomorrow.
The bad weather is gradually pushing southwards, with up to 25mm - one
inch - of rain expected across parts of Wales, the Midlands and the North.
With more than 1,000 people living in temporary accommodation in
Yorkshire and the Midlands, fire crews are working "to the point of
collapse" as they struggle to bring relief to beleaguered communities.
As the misery continued the Government faced accusations that it has
failed to grasp the severity of the disaster. More than 3,500 people
have been rescued by the fire service in the past few days.
The death toll rose to six yesterday when a man in his 60s drowned after
falling from a dinghy in a flooded canal at Torksey Lock, near
Gainsborough, Lincs. A man found floating in the River Leen, Notts, on
Wednesday has been named as David Birch, 41, from Lincolnshire.
A further 600 people have been injured escaping to higher ground.
The worst affected areas have been Humberside, Yorkshire, Shropshire,
Nottinghamshire and Gloucestershire. Towns and villages in Norfolk,
Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, the West Country and North Wales have also
been hit.
Matt Wrack, of the Fire Brigades Union, said: "The Government has not
understood the scale, gravity and severity of what has happened. We have
witnessed the biggest rescue effort in peace time Britain by our
emergency services and it's not over yet. Crews and officers have been
working to the point of collapse."
Engineers have managed to shore up the banking of the Ulley Dam, near
Rotherham, to reduce the threat to villages in its flood plain. Police
have allowed a nearby section of the M1 to re-open, while East Coast
rail services resumed between London and Scotland. Electricity has been
restored to 67,000 homes in Yorkshire.
Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre remained under water as police in
the city appealed to a man who "appeared from nowhere" to pull a
pensioner from a raging torrent to come forward. The man, who is in his
20s, passed his camouflage jacket to an onlooker when he saw Peter
Harding, 68, lose his grip on a bridge girder. He dived into the water,
dragged the pensioner to safety and tried to revive him. When paramedics
arrived he took back his jacket and walked away.
Chief Supt Jon House described him as "a true hero". He said: "Just like
Superman, he took off his jacket and gave it to another member of the
public. He said, 'Hold on to that, keep it dry'." The attempts to revive
Mr Harding failed but Mr House said the dead man's family wanted to
thank the rescuer for his efforts.
• The price of frozen peas could rise by as much as 50p per 1kg bag
because nearly a quarter of the summer's harvest has been lost to the
floods, growers predict.
More bad weather forecast
Today: Heavy rain in South East will clear slowly, except in coastal
areas where conditions are likely to stay cloudy and damp. Elsewhere:
sunshine and showers.
Tomorrow: Heavy rain spreading across the whole of England and Wales. Up
to 50mm in some parts.
Sunday: Mixture of sunshine and heavy showers. Again up to 50mm of rain
in some parts.
Monday: More sunshine and more heavy showers
Tuesday: Sunshine and showers, with the heavy rainfall gradually easing
and temperatures returning to near normal.
And beyond: Little change for next weekend and the following week, with
the unsettled conditions continuing. Some brighter, warmer interludes,
particularly in the South East.