A rescue operation is under way after “scary and unprecedented” flooding near a holiday park in West Sussex.
One person has been taken to hospital and over 200 people have been evacuated after the River Arun burst its banks in the wake of Storm Kathleenand the French-namedStorm Pierrick.
Image: Flooding in Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. Pic: PA
A resident of Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex said flooding in the town was “scary and unprecedented”, after he stayed awake until the early hours putting flood defences around his property.
Gareth Theobald, 36, said: “I was out the front of the building and watching the water just get higher and higher and higher, and then helping or stopping traffic going into the floodwaters and then just watching in disbelief as the whole of Brighton Road and our multimillion-pound development was being engulfed by floodwaters.”
The industrial relations officer added: “The amount of water is scary and unprecedented and those houses opposite our development are lower-ground flats and they were all flooded under a foot or so of water.”
He said he saw cars “driving into the floods at speed as well and getting stuck” and that “residents in the streets (were) trying to do what they can”.
Image: Flooding in Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. Pic: Gareth Theobald /X/PA
Image: Pic: Gareth Theobald /X/PA
‘Get to higher ground – we are expecting water to rise’
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said on X that they had seen “severe flooding” across West Sussex, in areas like Earnley, Littlehampton and Bracklesham.
They added: “We are expecting the water levels to increase this afternoon. If you are directly affected, please get to higher ground if possible.”
Advertisement
Image: A rescue operation has been launched
Around midnight, fire and rescue crews responded to flooding in Littlehampton – where 15 people were evacuated.
They were also dealing with a “severe flooding incident” at Medmerry holiday park between Bracklesham and Selsey, after being first called out at around 1am.
They urged anyone in the vicinity of the holiday park to get to high ground if they can leave their homes.
One resident shot a video of the water surrounding his chalet, saying “everything’s underwater” and describing the area as “totally flooded”.
Paul Maskell, a resident at Medmerry park, added: “I am adrift like Robinson Crusoe. It’s incredible… totally flooded out.”
Image: Medmerry Park in Chichester flooded after the River Arun burst its banks
At least 180 people have been evacuated from the holiday park, with one person showing signs of hypothermia, according to the fire service.
They were taken to hospital and South East Coast Ambulance crews assessed a number of other people.
Image: Chalets were left submerged
Image: Firefighters evacuate an elderly resident near Rope Walk in Littlehampton, West Sussex. Pic: PA
Image: Pic: PA
Then shortly before 7am, crews attended flooding at Bracklesham Caravan and Boat Club and evacuated around 20 people.
West Sussex County Council warned that flooding could worsen throughout the day and the Environment Agency advised people to stay away from “coastal paths, piers and promenades”.
The local council said: “It is also possible that the flooding may increase throughout the day. People directly affected should get to high ground if possible, unless unable to leave their residence. Otherwise, please avoid the areas to allow rescue operations to continue safely and effectively.”
The Environment Agency has said there is a low risk of coastal floodingin the area today, adding it’s likely that high tides or large waves will flood low-lying land and roads.
Weather warnings covering much of country
It comes as heavy rain and strong winds continue to batter parts of southern England, western Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland over the next few days, forecasters have said.
Several services run by South Western Railway and Great Western Railway have been cancelled or delayed this morning due to flooding.
Image: A van drives through flood water on Ferry Road in Littlehampton after the River Arun burst its banks overnight. Pic: PA
Winds in the southwest of England, including Cornwall and parts of Devon, could reach speeds of up to 65mph along some stretches of the coast.
The forecaster warned the strong gusts had a “small chance” of causing power cuts and damaging buildings.
A yellow weather warning for England’s southern coast, including Southampton and Brighton, says winds are expected to reach 55mph, peaking at 65mph in some areas before easing off.
Another yellow weather warning for Wales’ west coast has been issued between 1am and 3pm on Tuesday, when “a spell of strong winds” will affect the region with gusts reaching up to 65mph overnight.
In Scotland, up to 40mm of rainfall is expected in some areas between 1am and 6pm on Tuesday, while a few could see as much as 60mm.
Affected areas include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Aberdeen.
Further rainfall is forecast in western Scotland between 9am and 6pm on Wednesday and may cause flooding, with 15 to 25mm of rain expected to fall in most places and 40 to 50mm forecast on high ground.
The weather service warned rain and wind could disrupt rail and road travel across the country, as driving conditions worsen because of slippery road surfaces and limited visibility.
A low-pressure system, bringing the wet and windy weather, has swept in hot on the heels of Storm Kathleen.
Southern parts of the UK are being affected by Storm Pierrick, named by the French meteorological agency.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said that while these levels of rainfall would not be a “huge cause for concern” on their own, they will fall on “already saturated ground” which increases the risk of flooding.
“We’ll continue with very unsettled weather as we head into spring, which is usually when we start to see things settle down a little bit more,” he added.
“We’re continuing with one area of low pressure after another, which is mainly down to the fact that the jet stream is a bit further south than it would normally be at this time of year.”
The second half of the week should be a “bit drier” with warm temperatures in the south of the UK, before returning to normal over the weekend, Mr Partridge said.
He said: “It’s actually quite warm conditions for the time of year – we could see 19C or 20C across eastern and southeastern parts of the UK come Thursday and Friday.
The UK has signed a long-awaited deal to hand control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
It means Britain will give up sovereignty of the Indian Ocean territory and lease back the vital UK-US Diego Garcia military base – at a cost of billions of pounds to the taxpayer.
In a news conference, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the base is of the “utmost significance to Britain”, having been used to deploy aircraft to “defeat terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan”, and “anticipate threats in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific”.
He said the base was under threat because of Mauritius’s legal claim on the Chagos Islands, which has been recognised by multiple international courts.
“If we did not agree this deal, the legal situation would mean that we would not be able to prevent China or any other nation setting up their own bases on the outer islands, or carrying out joint exercises near our base,” Sir Keir said.
“We would have to explain to you, the British people and to our allies, that we’d lost control of this vital asset.
More from Politics
“No responsible government could let that happen, so there’s no alternative but to act in Britain’s national interest by agreeing to this deal.
“We will never gamble with national security.”
Image: Aerial view of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Island group. Pic: AP
The deal means the UK will lease the base from the Mauritian government over 99 years.
Confusion over costs
Sir Keir said the average cost per year is £101m but the net overall cost is £3.4bn, not £10bn, and all public sector projects are measured in net costs.
However, there is confusion over the government’s calculations as the full agreement between the UK and Mauritius reveals the UK will pay:
• £165m a year for the first three years; • £120m for years four to 13; • £120m plus inflation for every year after to year 99; • £40m as a one-off to a fund for Chagossians; • £45m a year for 25 years for Mauritian development.
If inflation were to remain zero for the next century, this would work out to around £10bn over 99 years.
Assuming an average of 2% inflation, Sky News analysis suggests costs could rise as high as £30bn.
Downing Street stood by its figures, saying government accounting principles were applied to adjust for long-term costs and the value of the pound today is worth more than the pound in the future.
Officials denied suggestions from journalists that was financial sophistry, insisting it was “standard practice”.
Sir Keir said that had he not struck the deal today, Mauritius would have taken the UK to international courts and probably won, with extra penalties implemented.
The Chagos Archipelago was separated from Mauritius by the UK in 1965, when Mauritius was a British colony.
Mauritius gained independence from the UK in 1968 and since then has been trying to claim the archipelago as Mauritian.
In the late 1960s, the US asked the UK to expel everyone from the archipelago so they could build a naval support facility on the largest island, Diego Garcia. It is leased to the US but operates as a joint UK-US base.
The UK has been under pressure to hand back control of the territory, after the UN and the International Court of Justice sided with Mauritius.
The treaty said the deal would “complete the process of decolonisation of Mauritius”.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said that “surrendering” the Chagos Islands to Mauritius “is an act of national self-harm”.
“It leaves us more exposed to China, and ignores the will of the Chagossian people. And we’re paying billions to do so,” she said.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage echoed those comments, accusing Sir Keir of caring more about foreign courts “than Britain’s national interest”.
Image: The location of the Chagos Islands
‘Deal inherited from Tories’
However, Sir Keir said he “inherited a negotiation in which the principle of giving up UK sovereignty had already been conceded” by the Tories.
He said “all of the UK’s allies” support the deal, including the US, NATO, Five Eyes and India, and that those who are against it include “Russia, China, Iran…and surprisingly, the leader of the opposition, and Nigel Farage”.
Defence Secretary John Healey, who was also at the news conference, added that the last government failed to strike a deal despite 11 rounds of talks, leaving Labour to “pick up the challenge”.
X
This content is provided by X, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable X cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to X cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow X cookies for this session only.
He said ministers “toughened the terms and the protections and the control that Britain can exercise through this treaty”.
Under the deal’s terms, a 24-nautical mile buffer zone will be put in place around the island where nothing can be built or placed without UK consent.
The UK will retain full operational control of Diego Garcia, including the electromagnetic spectrum satellite used for communications which counters hostile interference.
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, said he welcomed the “historic agreement”, saying it “secures the long-term, stable and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia, which is critical to regional and global security”.
“We value both parties’ dedication. The US looks forward to our continued joint work to ensure the success of our shared operations,” he said.
More than a dozen people have been injured after a train hit an agricultural trailer on a level crossing in Herefordshire, according to emergency services.
British Transport Police (BTP) said officers were called to the site north of Leominster at 10.40am on Thursday.
A man has been airlifted to hospital and a woman has also been taken to hospital.
A further 15 people, who were passengers on the train, were assessed by paramedics but discharged at the scene, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
A spokesperson confirmed that nobody from the tractor-trailer required assessment.
Police have confirmed that a 32-year-old man from Bromyard has been arrested on suspicion of endangering safety on the railway.
Firefighters and officers from West Mercia Police also attended the scene.
A spokesperson for Transport for Wales (TfW) confirmed its 8.30am service between Manchester Piccadilly and Cardiff Central hit an “obstruction” at a crossing between Ludlow and Leominster.
All lines between the Hereford and Craven Arms stations are blocked and trains will not run between the two.
Replacement road transport is being put in place and TfW tickets are currently being accepted by Northern, Avanti, GWR and CrossCountry, it said.
Disruption is expected to last until the end of the day and a spokesperson for the company advised anyone travelling on Thursday to check before they travel.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was “called to an incident on the railway track at Nordan Farm, Leominster, at 10.46am”.
“On arrival crews found a man who was a passenger on the train, they treated him for non-life threatening injuries before conveying him by air ambulance to Hereford County Hospital,” they added.
“A woman was also treated for injuries not believed to be serious and conveyed by land ambulance to Hereford County Hospital.”
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said it had sent a team of inspectors to Leominster “between a passenger train and an agricultural trailer at a user worked level crossing”, which require people to operate the crossing themselves.
“Our inspectors will gather evidence as part of the process of conducting a preliminary examination and a decision on whether an investigation will be launched will be taken in the coming days,” the spokesperson added.
British Transport Police said its enquiries were ongoing into the full circumstances of the incident.
The economy will have to be “strong enough” for the government to U-turn on winter fuel payment cuts, the business secretary has said.
Jonathan Reynolds, talking to Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, also said the public would have to “wait for the actual budget” to make an announcement on it.
You can listen to the full interview on tomorrow’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast.
He and his ministers had insisted they would stick to their guns on the policy, even just hours before Sir Keir revealed his change of heart at Prime Minister’s Questions.
But Mr Reynolds revealed there is more at play to be able to change the policy.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:01
Winter fuel payment cuts to be reversed
“The economy has got to be strong enough to give you the capacity to make the kind of decisions people want us to see,” he said.
“We want people to know we’re listening.
“All the prime minister has said is ‘look, he’s listening, he’s aware of it.
“He wants a strong economy to be able to deliver for people.
“You’d have to wait for the actual budget to do that.”
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has looked into the government’s options after Sir Keir Starmer said he is considering changes to the cut to winter fuel payment (WFP).
The government could make a complete U-turn on removing the payment from pensioners not claiming pension credit so they all receive it again.
There could be a higher eligibility threshold. Households not claiming pension credit could apply directly for the winter fuel payment, reporting their income and other circumstances.
Or, all pensioner households could claim it but those above a certain income level could do a self-assessment tax return to pay some of it back as a higher income tax charge. This could be like child benefit, where the repayment is based on the higher income member of the household.
Instead of reducing pension credit by £1 for every £1 of income, it could be withdrawn more slowly to entitle more households to it, and therefore WFP.
At the moment, WFP is paid to households but if it was paid to individuals the government could means-test each pensioner, rather than their household. This could be based on an individual’s income, which the government already records for tax purposes. Individuals who have a low income could get the payment, even if their spouse is high income. This would mean low income couples getting twice as much, whereas each eligible house currently gets the same.
Instead of just those receiving pension credit getting WFP, the government could extend it to pensioners who claim means-tested welfare for housing or council tax support. A total of 430,000 renting households would be eligible at a cost of about £100m a year.
Pensioners not on pension credit but receiving disability credits could get WFP, extending eligibility to 1.8m households in England and Scotland at a cost of about £500m a year.
Pensioners living in a band A-C property could be automatically entitled to WFP, affected just over half (6.3m).
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has committed to just one major fiscal event a year, meaning just one annual budget in the autumn.
Autumn budgets normally take place in October, with the last one at the end of the month.
If this year’s budget is around the same date it will leave little time for the extra winter fuel payments to be made as they are paid between November and December.