How people are coping with the floods: Carpets, furniture and food destroyed as homes deluged under feet of water
People whose homes have been destroyed by the floods sweeping across parts of the UK over the past couple of days have been telling Sky News how they coped with the deluge.
In Lincolnshire, where a major incident has been declared, Terry, from Grantham, showed a Sky crew the aftermath of the deluge in his home, which was left under two feet of water.
“Everything’s gone,” he said, adding that he was “devastated”.
The first sign of trouble came at lunchtime on Monday, when his wife woke him and said there was water coming in [to the house], and “within a few minutes, the whole house was flooded”.
Terry told us he’s ‘devastated’
Flooding in Loughborough. Pic: AP
They rushed their belongings and pets upstairs, he said, as he revealed the damage to the flooded living room and kitchen, where the water mark was above a power socket.
Terry said the kitchen, where the floor was covered in sludge, smelled of mud and sewage, and their furniture and carpets were wrecked.
Flood waters in Loughborough, Leicestershire. Pic: PA
They have no electricity and the food in the cupboards and freezer was “completely ruined”.
Graham Johnson, who lives in a boat with his wife and dog, in the village of Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire, was in the pub on Monday night, before the water started to rise “rapidly”.
People living in a local caravan park were moved as a severe flood warning was issued.
Graham Johnson, from Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire, feared he would lose his boat home
A man is rescued from the flooding at a caravan park near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire. Pic: PA
Mr Johnson said he had gone out “for a couple of pints as usual and, the next thing we know, bingo”.
The couple feared their boat home was about to be swept towards the bridge.
“That’s our pride and joy, where we live, and we didn’t want to lose it,” he said, as he praised the “fantastic” emergency services, who rescued them and their dog after a nervy three-hour wait.
They were two of the 59 people rescued by firefighters in the county, where a major incident was declared and crews were called out to 160 flood-related incidents, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said.
Another Leicestershire resident whose home was inundated was Qasim Abdullah from Loughborough.
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Flooding across East Midlands
Pictures taken by the Associated Press show him walking through almost knee-deep water in his living room.
In nearby Quorn, businesses have shut as the main high street has flooded for the second time in as many years.
Two of the pubs in particular have been damaged.
Last year, residents had to launch a crowd fundraiser to help pay for the costs of renovation. Not to mention soaring insurance premiums.
Indy Burmi, who owns a hair salon and restaurant, hasn’t suffered flooding, but said he’s had to close up and cancel all Tuesday’s reservations, as his clients simply can’t get into the village.
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And, with more rain forecast, conditions could get even worse in the short term, while residents worry that an annual battle with rising water is now the new normal.
Elsewhere in the UK, the next danger is from ice forming on untreated surfaces after rain on Tuesday evening, the Met Office has said, as it issued a new warning for northern England and Wales from 5pm until midday on Wednesday.
An amber warning has been issued for snow in a part of the UK, likely to cause travel delays and “stranding some vehicles and passengers”.
The warning, which covers south west England, also warns some rural communities could become cut off and is in place until 2pm this evening.
Pic: Met Office
There is also a yellow weather warning for snow covering the southern counties of England until midnight on Wednesday.
The warning stretches from Kent to Cornwall and up to south London and the Met Office said between 2cm and 5cm of snow could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 10cm over higher ground.
This week is expected to see the coldest nights of the year, with temperatures potentially reaching -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night, both in the North East of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.
Weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the parts of Wales, the North West of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland will remain in place until midnight tomorrow.
The forecaster said some roads and railways are likely to be affected and there could be icy patches on untreated roads.
Pics: AP
Meanwhile the Environment Agency has said at least 300 properties have flooded across England since New Year’s Eve. It estimates more than 41,000 properties have been protected.
Heavy rainfall over the New Year caused significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire and snowmelt has brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly the Midlands, the agency said.
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Homes destroyed – how people are coping with floods
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Man says flooding ‘came out of nowhere’
Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”
Flood warnings
Some 100 flood warnings were in force across England on Wednesday, with people urged to remain vigilant over the coming days.
A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday morning for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, but was later removed.
People living in caravan parks in the area were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.
Firefighters have rescued dozens of people across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK, with road and rail links blocked, as Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports suspended flights because of the conditions.
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