Woman dies after being pulled from sea off Kent and fears mount for 69-year-old man from Neath who went missing on Sunday

A woman has died after being pulled from the sea and concerns are growing over 69-year-old man feared drowned as rough seas, flash floods and swollen rivers continued to cause problems across swaths of the UK.

Although drier, colder weather is expected, the Environment Agency warned homes and businesses that have escaped so far may still be hit by flooding as water makes its way through river and stream systems. It highlighted particular concerns for Dorset and York.

Travel to some parts of the country is expected to remain difficult for much of the rest of the week, with the south-west of England particularly badly hit.

There were calls in Devon and Cornwall for more money to be spent on infrastructure after part of the mainline between London and the West Country was washed away and is likely to remain impassable until Thursday.

Great Western Route (@networkrailwest) Trains to/from Devon affected by washouts of track & ballast due to severe weather. Check with @nationalrailenq / @GWRHelp before travelling pic.twitter.com/LFdIg24mbX

The Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw tweeted:

Ben Bradshaw (@BenPBradshaw) Main rail line to SW closed again by flooding. What was 10 to 20 year event now virtually annual. Need *real* investment for resilience now. https://t.co/Dtyudk96zI

The Local Government Association has also called for the chancellor, Philip Hammond, to devolve control of money for flood defences to ensure it is directed to exactly where it is needed.

Police in Kent are investigating how a 39-year-old woman came to be in the wind-whipped sea near Folkestone pier on Tuesday morning.



She was pulled from the water by a coastguard helicopter, having been in the sea for about an hour, and taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition but later died.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Russell Sherwood, 69, has not been seen since he left his Neath home in a silver Ford Focus car on Sunday morning. Photograph: South Wales police/PA

On Tuesday night police said a vehicle believed to belong to Russell Sherwood, 69, who has been missing since setting off on a car journey from his home in Neath on Sunday, had been found in the swollen river Ogmore.



A South Wales police spokeswoman said the search had been stood down for the night owing to dangerous conditions and would resume on Wednesday morning. “Mr Sherwood’s family have been kept fully informed of the developments and are being supported by specially trained officers,” she added.

At the peak of the flooding on Tuesday, more than 70 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected and residents should take immediate action – for the Midlands, Wales, and the north-east, north-west and east of England were in place.

The number dipped as the day went on but the Environment Agency said people still needed to be prepared.

In Dorset there were concerns about the river Stour and in York the upper river Ouse was expected to reach its peak level on Wednesday, which may cause flooding.



Clare Dinnis, national flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “People in the south-west and north-east need to be aware of the potential for further flooding. The weather is due to improve later this week, but we want to remind people not to risk driving through floodwater, walking near large waves or near swollen rivers.

“Environment Agency teams have been out in their communities throughout the night working to reduce flood risk. Temporary flood defences have been deployed and we are continuing to maintain flood defences, clear blockages in watercourses and monitor water levels.”

There was some good news after a ferry from Ireland stranded in Cardigan Bay for more than 24 hours with almost 150 passengers and crew on board finally docked at Fishguard.

In Greater Manchester, homes and businesses were left submerged after a month’s worth of rain fell in one night.

The Press Association journalist Rich McCarthy tweeted:

Rich McCarthy (@VJRichMcCarthy) Some of the worst flood damage I've seen in Millbrook, Tameside. For context the dark on the 1st wall was a drive and solid ground @PA pic.twitter.com/OjTMfWzUZ9

Andy Vaughan and his wife, Shelley, had to be rescued from their home in the village of Millbrook, near Stalybridge, in a fire service boat after their cottage was overcome by floodwater.



The front door caved in during a rush of water which flooded into the village from the nearby Walkerwood reservoir after it had become blocked and overflowed. The family are now homeless. While some were mopping up or bracing for flooding, the questions over whether enough was being done to prevent flooding began.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Emergency services workers try to clear floodwater in Stalybridge. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

The leader of Cornwall county council, John Pollard, said it was ridiculous that the main track to the far south-west of Britain had once again been damaged by flooding, two years after the line at Dawlish in south Devon was left dangling in the air following storms. “Clearly the mainline should not be that vulnerable,” he said.

Ben Bradshaw, the Labour MP for Exeter, said he was fed up with south-west rail lines being left dangling in the air. “South-west Tory MPs should stop backing HS2 until our 19th-century lines are resilient,” he said.

Members of the South-West Peninsula Rail Taskforce had to drive to London on Tuesday to launch a 20-year plan to make the system less likely to break down.

Gerard Duddridge, chairman of the Devon and Cornwall branch of the campaign group Railfuture, said: “The railway can never be 100% foolproof against the weather, but there are things that can be done to reduce disruption.”

He called for more work to be done on the section of the line affected this week but also said an alternative route from Exeter to London via Yeovil ought to be improved.