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More flooding could hit the UK this week after heavy downpours from Storm Babet left hundreds of properties submerged – with icy conditions on the way.

The Environment Agency said more flood alerts are expected for the worst-affected areas – despite severe flood warnings, which mean a risk of death or serious injury, being lifted.

“River flooding will continue into Wednesday along the River Severn,” the agency said.

“Further flooding is possible from rivers and surface water on Tuesday and Wednesday for parts of England due to further heavy rain.”

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Ice warnings have been issued

About 1,250 properties in England have been flooded and an estimated 30,000 properties have been protected from flooding, the EA said.

It comes as the Met Office issued overnight warnings for ice, which will remain in place in Scotland and northern England until 9am today.

Maureen Gilbert, 83, was found dead after her home was hit by flooding in Derbyshire – taking the number of people who have died since the storm hit the UK to at least four.

More on Storm Babet

Derbyshire Police said the pensioner was found dead at about 10.35am on Saturday at her home in Chesterfield.

Paul and Maureen Gilbert
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Paul and Maureen Gilbert

Her son Paul Gilbert told Sky News he found his mother “floating in the water”.

He told Sky News: “I did not want to find my own mum and I expected somebody else to have found her.

“I go through so many different stages, anger, upset, I don’t know. I can’t put it into words what it means at the moment.”

Wendy Taylor, 57, died after being swept into the Water of Lee, Glen Esk, on Thursday, Police Scotland said.

Wendy Taylor. Pic: Police Scotland
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Wendy Taylor. Pic: Police Scotland

Her family described her as “a ray of sunshine for everyone who was fortunate enough to know her” in a tribute.

“We are absolutely heartbroken to lose Wendy in such tragic circumstances and are still struggling to come to terms with it. Wendy was a beautiful, kind, funny and caring person,” they said.

“Wendy was the beloved wife, best friend and soulmate in life to George, mother to James, Sally and Susanna and Granny to India and George.”

Check the latest UK weather forecast

First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf will visit Brechin, Angus, today to see where the River South Esk burst its banks and flooded dozens of homes last week during Storm Babet.

Angus and Aberdeenshire were badly hit by the storm and teams have been clearing debris from roads, while those hit by flooding are making repairs.

Residents of River Street in Brechin were trying to dry out their homes as they surveyed the damage from the floodwater.

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Storm Babet aftermath

Derby City Council saw record-breaking water levels in the River Derwent and warned that the clean-up could take several days.

Met Office spokesman Dave Britton said those worst affected by the flooding caused by Storm Babet could see “a couple of quieter days”.

Mr Britton said more settled weather on Monday could allow some respite and a chance for recovery.

He added: “There is this pulse of rain moving its way north overnight later on Monday and into Tuesday, but the rest of the week does look like it remains rather unsettled with spells of rain at times.”

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Why Storm Babet brought so much rain

Watch moment forest floor lifted by storm
Why we’re likely to see more storms like Babet

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People rescued from roof of car

On Friday, a man in his 60s died after getting caught in fast-flowing floodwater in the town of Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire.

Police Scotland previously said a falling tree hit a van near Forfar in Angus on Thursday evening, killing the 56-year-old driver.

A search is also under way in Aberdeenshire after a report of a man trapped in a vehicle in floodwater.

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Huge fire breaks out at electrical substation in west London

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Huge fire breaks out at electrical substation in west London

A huge fire has broken out at an electrical substation in west London.

Around 100 firefighters were tackling the blaze on Aberdeen Place in Maida Vale, where an electrical transformer was alight.

The roof of a neighbouring residential building was also alight, the London Fire Brigade said. Around 80 people have been evacuated from their homes.

Pictures from the surrounding areas show thick black smoke bellowing across the city’s skyline.

The fire bridge received more than 170 calls about the blaze from around 5.30am on Tuesday. Fifteen fire engines attended the scene.

“This is a very visible fire, which is producing lots of smoke,” said station commander Paul Morgan.

“Residents are advised to keep their windows and doors shut and avoid the area where possible.”

Fire crews from Paddington, Euston and other stations were fighting the fire.

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It is not known what has caused the blaze.

It comes a month after Heathrow was shut down following a fire at a nearby electrical substation.

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Moment Heathrow substation ignites

The Metropolitan Police said it was not treating that fire as a criminal matter after more than 1,000 flights were cancelled and hundreds of thousands of passengers affected.

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Sex offenders to be denied refugee status under plans to improve women’s safety

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Sex offenders to be denied refugee status under plans to improve women's safety

Migrants convicted of sex offences in the UK or overseas will be unable to claim asylum under government plans to change the law to improve border security.

The Home Office announcement means foreign nationals who are added to the sex offenders register will forfeit their rights to protection under the Refugee Convention.

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As part of the 1951 UN treaty, countries are allowed to refuse asylum to terrorists, war criminals and individuals convicted of a “particularly serious crime” – which is currently defined in UK law as an offence carrying a sentence of 12 months or more.

The government now plans to extend that definition to include all individuals added to the Sex Offenders’ Register, regardless of the length of sentence, in an amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which is currently going through parliament. It’s understood they also hope to include those convicted of equivalent crimes overseas.

Those affected will still be able to appeal their removal from the UK in the courts under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

More than 10,000 people have now been detected crossing the Channel. Pic: PA
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More than 10,000 people have now been detected crossing the Channel. Pic: PA

It is unclear how many asylum seekers will be affected, as the government has been unable to provide any projections or past data on the number of asylum seekers added to the Sex Offenders’ Register.

More from Politics

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Sex offenders who pose a risk to the community should not be allowed to benefit from refugee protections in the UK.

“We are strengthening the law to ensure these appalling crimes are taken seriously.”

Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Minister Jess Philips said: “We are determined to achieve our mission of halving violence against women and girls in a decade.

“That’s exactly why we are taking action to ensure there are robust safeguards across the system, including by clamping down on foreign criminals who commit heinous crimes like sex offences.”

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The Home Office would like voters to see this as a substantial change. But that’s hard to demonstrate without providing any indication of the scale of the problem it seeks to solve.

Clearly, the government does not want to fan the flames of resentment towards asylum seekers by implying large numbers have been committing sex crimes.

But amid rising voter frustration about the government’s grip on the issue, and under pressure from Reform – this measure is about signalling it is prepared to take tough action.

Conservatives: ‘Too little, too late’

The Conservatives claim Labour are engaged in “pre-election posturing”.

Chris Philp MP, the shadow home secretary, said: “This is too little, too late from a Labour government that has scrapped our deterrent and overseen the worst year ever for small boat crossings – with a record 10,000 people crossing this year already.

“Foreign criminals pose a danger to British citizens and must be removed, but so often this is frustrated by spurious legal claims based on human rights claims, not asylum claims.”

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Has Labour tackled migration?

The Home Office has also announced plans to introduce a 24-week target for appeal hearings (known as “first-tier tribunals”) to be held for rejected asylum seekers living in taxpayer-supported accommodation, or for foreign national offenders.

The current average wait is 50 weeks. The idea is to cut the asylum backlog and save taxpayers money – Labour have committed to end the use of asylum hotels by the end of this parliament.

It’s unclear how exactly this will be achieved, although a number of additional court days have already been announced.

The government also plans to crack down on fake immigration lawyers who advise migrants on how to lodge fraudulent asylum claims, with the Immigration Advice Authority given new powers to issue fines of up to £15,000.

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Schoolgirl who attempted to murder teachers and pupil sentenced to 15 years in detention

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Schoolgirl who attempted to murder teachers and pupil sentenced to 15 years in detention

A 14-year-old girl who attempted to murder two teachers and a pupil at a school in Wales has been sentenced to 15 years in detention.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was previously found guilty of attempting to murder teachers Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin and a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford.

Emergency services were called to the school on 24 April last year, in what the trial heard was a “serious episode of violence” during the mid-morning break after the girl took her father’s fishing “multi-tool” to school.

She had admitted to three counts of wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article on a school premises, but a jury found her guilty of attempted murder in February after a week-long trial.

Following her arrest, the teenager told officers she was “pretty sure” the incident would be on the news, and added “that’s one way to be a celebrity”.

Both Mrs Elias and Mrs Hopkin “received significant and serious injuries”, Swansea Crown Court heard.

Mrs Hopkin was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff after she sustained “four stab wounds”, while Mrs Elias and the pupil also attended hospital for treatment.

Ammanford in Carmarthenshire
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Ammanford in Carmarthenshire

‘Changed my life forever’

Reading her victim personal statement from the witness box on Monday, Fiona Elias said the incident had shown her that life was “fragile” and had been “a steep learning curve”.

“Walking out on duty that day would change my life forever,” she said – a moment which “replays itself over and over no matter how much time passes”.

“It’s not easy, and I know I’ll continue to face challenges, but every day I’m taking step towards healing,” Mrs Elias said.

Addressing the defendant, Mrs Elias said “your motive was clear, you intended to murder me” but that she was stopped “thanks to Liz’s selfless actions”.

She said she was not “ruling out the possibility of a meeting with [the pupil] in the future,” but that she first needed to know she would “engage with the interventions that will be put in place”.

Outlining her plans to campaign for safer working conditions at schools, Mrs Elias said: “I never expected to give my blood, but I will always give my heart to Ysgol Dyffryn Aman and to the world of education.”

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The teenager, who can’t be named, is due to be sentenced in April.

‘Right place at the right time’

Liz Hopkin said it had been “the worst experience of [her] life” but that she was “glad” she was “in the right place at the right time” to protect Mrs Elias.

“I’m still here, I’m still alive, though at the time I was sure that I was going to die,” she told the court.

“Physically, my wounds have healed but the scars remain.”

Mrs Hopkin added that the thought of returning to a career in teaching now filled her with “anxiety and dread”.

“You were prepared to kill someone you did not know,” she said, addressing the defendant, who sat in the court for proceedings, until she moved to the dock for sentence.

“The decision to end my life was never yours to make.”

But Mrs Hopkin said she worried about the defendant’s future, adding: “I don’t want you to be punished forever but I do want you to take every opportunity to make your life better.”

Concluding her victim personal statement, Mrs Hopkin said: “It has changed me in ways I never wanted and that is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life.”

Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

‘Very complex young girl’

Prosecuting, William Hughes KC said aggravating factors in the case included use of a knife, the fact two of the victims were “carrying out a public service” and that the offending took place in public.

In mitigation, Caroline Rees KC said the defendant was “a very complex young girl”.

She said she had shown remorse, had a “difficult background” and also the fact there were two trials.

Handing down his sentence, Judge Paul Thomas said the defendant would serve half of the 15-year sentence before she can be considered for release.

Addressing the defendant, he said: “What you did in school almost a year ago the day has caused a large number of people a great deal of harm and upset. It has hugely affected many lives, including, of course, your own.”

“The simple fact is you tried to kill three people, two teachers and another pupil,” he added.

“I think that it is very important here that what you did you did in full of so many other pupils…In my view you wanted as many of your fellow pupils as possible to see what you intended to do.”

The Judge added that “for one reason or other, [the defendant wasn’t] really listening” to the victim impact statements of Mrs Elias and Mrs Hopkin.

He said he did not think the teenager was “genuinely sorry” for what she did, adding: “You showed no emption or even interest in how they felt that day or ever since.”

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