Storm Babet: Woman in her 80s dies in floods in Derbyshire – as people urged to evacuate homes in parts of Nottinghamshire town
A woman has died in a flat in Derbyshire following floods caused by Storm Babet – as people in parts of Nottinghamshire are urged to evacuate their homes.
The victim, in her 80s, was discovered at around 10.35am on Saturday in Chesterfield by emergency services.
A police spokesman said: “Investigations are continuing into the cause and circumstances surrounding her death, but it is believed it is related to the flooding seen in the Chesterfield area.”
Three other people have died since the storm hit the UK on Wednesday while a search continues in Aberdeenshire after a report of a man trapped in a vehicle in floodwater.
The Environment Agency (EA) warned high water levels caused by flooding from major rivers could continue until Tuesday, while train services are disrupted across parts of Scotland, Yorkshire and East Anglia, with some routes still flooded.
Submerged cars in South Yorkshire
Two severe flood warnings – meaning there is a significant risk to life – have been issued for the River Idle in Nottinghamshire at West Retford and Ordsal and at Retford, Eaton and Gamston.
The local council has urged people in those areas to evacuate their homes after severe flood warnings were issued.
Despite the worst of the storm now having passed, rivers in North Yorkshire, the Midlands and the South West could also continue to overflow, the EA said.
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“Ongoing flooding is probable on some larger rivers including the Severn, Ouse and Trent through to Tuesday,” EA flood duty manager Katharine Smith said.
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Aerials show extent of Scotland floods
Derby City Council said it is seeing record-breaking water levels in the River Derwent and warned cleaning up after the floods could take several days.
Three severe flood warnings had been in place around the River Derwent in Derbyshire on Saturday but were downgraded on Sunday morning.
There were two severe flood warnings, 182 flood warnings and 151 flood alerts in place across England as of noon on Sunday.
The Energy Network Association (ENA) said a “small handful” of homes would still be without power on Sunday after around 100,000 customers were initially affected by power cuts.
In Scotland, where there was a red weather warning in the east of the country on Saturday, a large number of homes that lost power have since been reconnected.
The last remaining Met Office weather warning, for rain, expired at midnight.
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Rugby pitch submerged under floodwater
In the North Sea, off the coast of Aberdeen, a company operating a drilling platform said it had removed non-essential personnel after four of the platform’s eight anchors became detached in severe weather caused by Storm Babet.
Stena Drilling Limited said two coastguard helicopters and a search and rescue helicopter were “mobilised to transfer 45 non-essential personnel from the drilling unit to neighbouring platforms and to Sumburgh on the Shetland Islands”.
The Stena Spey platform remains secure and stable, the company added.
A car on a bridge washed away near Dundee
In London, King’s Cross railway station was closed on Saturday afternoon to “manage passenger numbers”.
Managers said it was because Storm Babet had brought “severe disruption to the rail network”.
A retired man with Parkinson’s Disease said there was a “high chance of a crush” during overcrowding at the central London terminal.
John Hinson, 61, from North Ferriby in East Yorkshire, said people were “crashing against the barrier” as they tried to reach their trains.
“It was just so dangerous,” he said.
A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.
Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.
The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.
“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.
The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.
The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.
In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.
Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon
Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.
The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.
It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.
“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”
Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.
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