Connect with us

Published

on

Rain warnings are back in place in parts of the UK – kicking off four days of miserable weather as communities reel from the impact of Storm Babet.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for downpours in Scotland and Northern Ireland from midday on Friday, including areas hit by flooding last week.

In Scotland, it covers Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee, and Perth and Kinross.

It will last until at least 6pm on Saturday, and the Scottish Flood Forecast warned “significant flooding impacts” are likely across the next few days.

Heavy rain is set to fall on areas that already have high water levels and saturated ground due to Storm Babet.

Among the worst-hit areas braced for more rain is Brechin in Angus, where hundreds of homes had to be evacuated after the River South Esk burst its banks.

First Minister Humza Yousaf visited the town this week and pledged Scottish government funding, but warned: “It’s going to be a long road to recovery.”

More on Storm Babet

Check the five-day weather forecast where you are

Warnings in place for England and Northern Ireland

A separate Met Office yellow warning also covers the east coast of Northern Ireland, including Ballycastle, Larne, Donaghadee, and Newcastle.

Come Saturday, another alert will extend to parts of southern and eastern England, with London, Kent, Sussex, and Essex all potentially experiencing disruption.

The warning covers the east coast of Northern Ireland
Image:
The warning covers the east coast of Northern Ireland

The area covered by a Met Office yellow weather warning for rain on 24 and 25 October, 2023

It is expected to remain until the end of Sunday, while the warning in Scotland will last into Monday – by then having extended south towards Stirling and Edinburgh.

The Met Office has said there is a small chance of power cuts to homes and businesses, as well as flooding, public transport disruption, and difficult driving conditions.

Sky News’s weather presenter Kirsty McCabe said low pressure would dominate this weekend, “bringing spells of strong winds and heavy rain that may exacerbate recent flooding and bring travel disruption”.

The warning in Scotland will spread south beyond Edinburgh by Monday
Image:
The warning in Scotland will spread south beyond Edinburgh by Monday

“Parts of eastern Scotland could get another 50 to 100mm of rain over the next few days, with as much as 150mm over the hills,” she added.

“This isn’t great news for those areas badly affected by Storm Babet last weekend, and there are still flood warnings in force.

“Elsewhere there will be heavy showers for eastern counties of Northern Ireland, southwest Wales and southeast England.

“Southern parts of England could have a very wet weekend as heavy and thundery showers merge into longer spells of rain along with gusty winds. This could prove particularly disruptive, with standing water and spray on some major roads.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Hundreds of homes submerged

Railways braced for more disruption

Ahead of the rain’s return, ScotRail has already suspended some services.

There will be no direct trains running between the Central Belt and Aberdeen and Inverness until Sunday.

LNER has warned of delays between Edinburgh and Newcastle, while TransPennine Express and CrossCountry are operating reduced timetables.

Network Rail Scotland warned: “More extremely heavy rain is on the way.

“It won’t be to the levels of Storm Babet, but it will affect the same areas with saturated ground.

“It will bring a risk of flooding.”

Seven people are known to have died as a result of Storm Babet, including three in Scotland.

Continue Reading

UK

Hashem Abedi: Manchester Arena bomb plotter charged with three counts of attempted murder

Published

on

By

Hashem Abedi: Manchester Arena bomb plotter charged with three counts of attempted murder

Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi has been charged with three counts of attempted murder.

It comes after four prison officers were injured in an attack at the maximum security prison HMP Frankland in Co Durham on 12 April.

Abedi has also been charged with one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of unauthorised possession of a knife or offensive weapon.

Counter Terrorism Policing North East has said it carried out a “thorough investigation” of the incident with Durham Constabulary and HMP Frankland.

He remains in prison and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 18 September.

Three prison officers were taken to hospital with serious injuries following the incident.

Continue Reading

UK

Three teenagers charged with murder after death of man, 49, in Kent

Published

on

By

Three teenagers charged with murder after death of man, 49, in Kent

Three teenagers have been charged with the murder of a man in Kent.

Kent Police were called to an incident in Leysdown-on-Sea, on the Isle of Sheppey, shortly after 7pm on Sunday.

Alexander Cashford, 49, from Kent, was found dead at the scene, having suffered multiple injuries.

He was allegedly assaulted following a “disturbance involving a small group of people”, according to police.

Police at the scene in the Leysdown-on-Sea resort on the Isle of Sheppey. Pic: PA
Image:
Police at the scene in the Leysdown-on-Sea resort on the Isle of Sheppey. Pic: PA

A 16-year-old girl and two boys, aged 14 and 15, were arrested and taken into custody shortly after.

The three suspects, who were all from London, were charged with murder by joint venture on Tuesday.

They are due to appear before Medway Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. The teenagers cannot be named for legal reasons.

More on Crime

Police officers carry out searches near the scene where Mr Cashford was found dead. Pic: PA
Image:
Police officers carry out searches near the scene where Mr Cashford was found dead. Pic: PA

A 12-year-old girl was arrested on Tuesday in Basildon, Essex, in connection with the incident.

She remains in custody while enquiries continue.

Read more from Sky News:
Jay Blades appears in court charged with rape
Backlash over police vans with facial recognition

Kent Police are appealing for witnesses who have not yet spoken to detectives to contact the force.

Continue Reading

UK

‘Disturbing’ rise in abusive teen relationships – as experts warn of signs to look out for

Published

on

By

'Disturbing' rise in abusive teen relationships - as experts warn of signs to look out for

Marnie’s first serious relationship came when she was 16-years-old.

Warning: This article contains references to strangulation, coercive control and domestic abuse.

She was naturally excited when a former friend became her first boyfriend.

But after a whirlwind few months, everything changed with a slow, determined peeling away of her personality.

“There was isolation, then it was the phone checking,” says Marnie.

As a survivor of abuse, we are not using her real name.

“When I would go out with my friends or do something, I’d get constant phone calls and messages,” she says.

“I wouldn’t be left alone to sort of enjoy my time with my friends. Sometimes he might turn up there, because I just wasn’t trusted to just go and even do something minor like get my nails done.”

The internet is said to be helping to fuel a rise in domestic abuse among teens. Pic: iStock
Image:
The internet is said to be helping to fuel a rise in domestic abuse among teens. Pic: iStock

He eventually stopped her from seeing friends, shouted at her unnecessarily, and accused her of looking at other men when they would go out.

If she ever had any alone time, he would bombard her with calls and texts; she wasn’t allowed to do anything without him knowing where she was.

He monitored her phone constantly.

“Sometimes I didn’t even know someone had messaged me.

“My mum maybe messaged to ask me where I was. He would delete the message and put my phone away, so then I wouldn’t even have a clue my mum had tried to reach me.”

The toll of what Marnie experienced was only realised 10 years later when she sought help for frequent panic attacks.

She struggled to comprehend the damage her abuser had inflicted when she was diagnosed with PTSD.

This is what psychological abuse and coercive control looks like.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘His hands were on my throat – he didn’t stop’

Young women and girls in the UK are increasingly falling victim, with incidents of domestic abuse spiralling among under-25s.

Exclusive data shared with Sky News, gathered by domestic abuse charity Refuge, reveals a disturbing rise in incidents between April 2024 and March 2025.

Psychological abuse was the most commonly reported form of harm, affecting 73% of young women and girls.

Of those experiencing this form of manipulation, 49% said their perpetrator had threatened to harm them and a further 35% said their abuser had threatened to kill them.

Among the 62% of 16-25 year olds surveyed who had reported suffering from physical violence, half of them said they had been strangled or suffocated.

Earlier this year, Sky News reported that school children were asking for advice on strangulation, but Kate Lexen, director of services at charity Tender, says children as young as nine are asking about violent pornography and displaying misogynistic behaviour.

Kate Lexen, director of services at charity Tender
Image:
Kate Lexen, director of services at charity Tender

“What we’re doing is preventing what those misogynistic behaviours can then escalate onto,” Ms Lexen says.

Tender has been running workshops and lessons on healthy relationships in primary and secondary schools and colleges for over 20 years.

Children as young as nine ‘talking about strangulation’

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Lexen says new topics are being brought up in sessions, which practitioners and teachers are adapting to.

“We’re finding those Year 5 and Year 6 students, so ages 9, 10 and 11, are talking about strangulation, they’re talking about attitudes that they’ve read online and starting to bring in some of those attitudes from some of those misogynistic influencers.

“There are ways that they’re talking about and to their female teachers.

“We’re finding that from talking to teachers as well that they are really struggling to work out how to broach these topics with the students that they are working with and how to make that a really safe space and open space to have those conversations in an age-appropriate way, which can be very challenging.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Hidden domestic abuse deaths

Charities like Tender exist to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Ms Lexen says without tackling misogynistic behaviours “early on with effective prevention education” then the repercussions, as the data for under 25s proves, will be “astronomical”.

At Refuge, it is already evident. Elaha Walizadeh, senior programme manager for children and young people, says the charity has seen a rise in referrals since last year.

Elaha Walizadeh, senior programme manager for children and young people at Refuge
Image:
Elaha Walizadeh, senior programme manager for children and young people at Refuge

“We have also seen the dynamics of abuse changing,” she adds. “So with psychological abuse being reported, we’ve seen a rise in that and non-fatal strangulation cases, we’ve seen a rise in as well.

“Our frontline workers are telling us that the young people are telling them usually abuse starts from smaller signs. So things like coercive control, where the perpetrators are stopping them from seeing friends and family. It then builds.”

Misogyny to violent behaviour might seem like a leap.

But experts and survivors are testament to the fact that it is happening.

Continue Reading

Trending