Red weather warnings issued for several regions, with roads and rail links closed as high winds and heavy rainfall trigger landslides, flooding and traffic chaos

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Thousands of homes across northern England and Scotland are under threat of flooding in the wake of Storm Desmond, with Cumbria police declaring a major incident.

The Met Office issued red weather warnings for several regions following heavy rainfall and high winds, with amber warnings in effect for areas including Yorkshire and Humber, north-east England, Strathclyde, and Lothian and Borders. Parts of the Pennines are expecting gusts of up to 80mph on Saturday night.

Rainfall of 2.4in to 3.9in (60mm to 100mm) is likely in many amber zones, with some mountainous areas recording more than 5.9in (150mm) over a 30-hour period.

Jen Chambers (@alopeciajen) @BBCBreaking #StormDesmond in #Cockermouth #Cumbria at 3pm today. It's even worse now! pic.twitter.com/gnS2vhufYG

In north London, police were investigating the death of an elderly man who officers believe was caught by a gust of wind and blown off the footpath against the side of a moving bus near Finchley Central station. The 90-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.



The prime minister, David Cameron, tweeted on Saturday night: “My thoughts are with all affected by Storm Desmond. Teams are working to ensure swift response and help for those who need it.”

Cumbria fire and rescue service said the flooding was “unprecedented” as the Red Cross was called in to support affected residents. The charity set up a control centre in Newcastle to help co-ordinate their support to the flooding response.

Police in Cumbria said that parts of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Keswick and Kendal had been evacuated and advised people affected by flooding to consider leaving their homes.

Police and mountain rescue teams helped residents in some parts of the Lake District to evacuate their homes, and several people were rescued from cars caught by floodwaters.

Storm Desmond - in pictures Read more

Roads into Kendal have been cut off and police have urged drivers to avoid the area. Two reception centres at the town hall and the leisure centre in Kendal have been opened by British Red Cross teams, but the flooding was making it difficult for some to reach safety.

The village of Braithwaite in Cumbria was left isolated after the flooded river swept away the main bridge connecting it to the rest of the county. Geoff Mawdsley, owner of the Coledale Inn, where many locals were seeking refuge for the night, described a “raging torrent going into the village” and said that a wall of the Coledale High Bridge had simply “gone”.

Cumbria police said flood defences in Cockermouth were expected to be breached on Saturday night and a reception centre had been set up at the town’s school.





The river Kent, which passes through Kendal, is the fastest flowing in England and flood levels are expected to rise considerably overnight.

In Appleby-in-Westmorland the river Eden burst its banks with some properties under 3ft of water and 180 families have been advised to seek shelter at Appleby grammar school.



A centre in Hawick in the east of Scotland, where up to 20 people are expected to spend the night after the river Teviot burst its banks, has also been opened.

In Northumberland, the river Tyne burst its banks at Corbridge, forcing the village to be evacuated.

A rescue mission for a horse stranded in a flooded field in the county was called off for the night after emergency services had to rescue a person who waded out to help it.

More than 100 flood warnings and more than 70 flood alerts were in place in northern England on Saturday night, with more than 90 flood warnings and alerts in Scotland.

There is also likely to be significant flooding in parts of Lancashire, the west Pennines and the Cheviot hills.



Dumfries and Galloway council said it was preparing for flooding similar to levels recorded in the region in 2009.

Marc Becker, of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, said it was concerned that flooding would worsen on Saturday night in Tayside, the south west of Scotland and the Borders.

“It is anticipated that the Tay at Perth will peak at levels not seen since 2006 and the Ettrick at Hawick is anticipated to be of a similar scale to the 2005 flood event. Flood levels on the Annan and Esk (Dumfries and Galloway) may also approach record levels,” he said.

Flooding risks can be checked here or by following @EnvAgency on Twitter.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest A jack-knifed FedEx lorry hit the central reservation on the M8 at Bathgate, West Lothian, closing lanes in both directions Photograph: Danny Lawson/Press Association





In other developments across the UK and Ireland:

Train services between Carlisle and Preston were cancelled due to flooding until Sunday. Updates on Virgin Trains services can be found here.



Dozens of flights were cancelled at Dublin airport along with many Aer Lingus regional flights.

Roads were closed across large parts of the northern England and Scotland.

Most football matches in Scotland were called off.

Hundreds of homes in Wales were left without power as strong winds battered power lines.

In Ireland, dozens of flights were cancelled at Dublin airport.

Motorists were urged to be aware of difficult driving conditions, with those in Scotland told they could be extremely challenging.

Paul Whitfield (@FoxWhitfield) @CumbriaWeather The road from Sedbergh to the M6 is impassable! pic.twitter.com/GEdHccaEXY

A jack-knifed FedEx lorry hit the central reservation on the M8 at Bathgate, West Lothian, closing lanes in both directions.

A landslide from a hill above Altura, in the Highlands, dumped at least 200 tonnes of earth and debris on the A82 between Spean Bridge and Invergarry overnight. The landslide and several areas of flooding between Invergloy and Letter Finlay forced the closure of a 15-mile (24km) stretch of the road.

Other road closures in Scotland include the M90 between junctions 8 and 9, as well as the A85 and the A924.





Enda Cunningham (@endacunningham) Atrocious conditions in Salthill at the moment #StormDesmond #Galway pic.twitter.com/mPClJC01nb

In anticipation of more gales and driving rain the Irish coastguard service warned people in coastal areas to stay away from headlands, piers and cliffs until the storm abated.

Ferries from Ireland to Britain have been cancelled while flights have been diverted due to winds of up to 74mph (118km/h) whipping in from the Atlantic.