UK weather: Storm Babet forces evacuations in red alert area of Angus due to floods
Hundreds of residents in northeast Scotland at risk of flooding are to be evacuated as Storm Babet sweeps across the country.
A severe flood warning is set to be put in place for the River South Esk area, Angus Council has said.
The council has identified 335 homes in Brechin and 87 in Tannadice and Finavon where residents will be asked to “evacuate for their own safety”.
The local authority has set up three rest centres for all those affected.
Those that have been evacuated or need shelter can go to Brechin Community Campus, Montrose Sports Centre or Forfar Community Campus.
The council said: “Please bring your own sleeping bags, pillows, blankets and any medication you need.”
Live: The latest Storm Babet news
Brechin resident John Stewart with his flood defence
A map showing the areas where people have been ordered to evacuate
Brechin resident John Stewart, 82, said he has no intention of leaving his home.
The pensioner said he has built a wall around his garden and has a floodgate in place to protect his house from water damage.
Mr Stewart said he can’t leave because his “wife’s not well” and is prepared to take the risk.
SEPA is concerned the River South Esk in Brechin will burst its banks
A section of the A933 near Brechin is now impassable due to a fallen tree
Earlier in the day, First Minister Humza Yousaf warned all those in Scotland to “please listen to the advice wherever you are in the country”.
He added: “And to those particularly that are in the red weather warning area, my message is a simple one: Listen to the advice, do not travel.
“We know there is going to be significant disruption. There could be harm to people if they do not listen to that advice.”
It comes as severe weather warnings are in place in parts of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland as Storm Babet hits the UK.
A workman clears the drains in the village of Edzell in Angus
The downpour has already caused disruption to Scotland’s transport network.
A number of ScotRail and Stagecoach services have been cancelled, and around 10,000 homes in Scotland have been affected by power cuts due to the storm.
The RNLI is advising people to stay away from the coast, highlighting the risk of being washed out to sea, and the British Geological Survey has also warned that the storm could cause landslides in areas where the weather is the worst.
Aberdeenshire Council said it will be setting up rest centres in Stonehaven and Laurencekirk for residents unable to remain in their homes.
The local authority has also postponed funerals until next week due to the weather.
A Brechin resident stacking sandbags outside a door
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued 12 flood alerts and eight flood warnings.
In England, the Environment Agency issued five flood warnings – mostly in the North East – and 36 flood alerts, mostly in the Midlands.
An amber warning of rain has been issued for parts of northern England and parts of northern Wales. The warning lasts from midday tomorrow until 6am on Saturday.
The flooding in Midleton, Co Cork
Areas under the warning include Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham, Chester and Bradford.
Ireland was the first to get the brunt of Storm Babet as it swept in from the Atlantic.
Members of the Irish Defence Forces had to be deployed in the town of Midleton, Co Cork, in the south of Ireland, where more than 100 properties were flooded.
A flood defence barrier erected in Edzell’s Church Street
The local council said more than a month’s worth of rain had fallen in the space of 24 hours.
Brechin is within the Met Office’s red warning area. The worst of the rain is expected between 6pm on Thursday and 12pm on Friday.
Up to 220mm of rain is forecast in some areas of eastern Scotland, an amount close to the highest ever 24-hour total of 238mm at Sloy Main Adit, Argyll and Bute, in 1974.
Brechin is within the Met Office’s red warning area
The Met Office has said to expect:
• Danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater
• Extensive flooding to homes and businesses
• Collapsed or damaged buildings or structures
• Road closures and bus and train service delays and cancellations
• Dangerous driving conditions because of spray and flooded roads
• Loss of power and other essential services, such as gas, water and mobile phone service
• Communities completely cut off, perhaps for several days
Angus Council had already confirmed that schools and early years centres across the region would close at lunchtime on Thursday. They will remain closed on Friday.
Road teams across Angus have been actively deploying sandbags to resilience groups around vulnerable areas and buildings.
The council has a “limited supply” of sandbags available for residents.
A maximum of 20 each will be available while stocks last and can be picked up at the council’s roads depots in Brechin, Forfar and Arbroath.
Fresh appeals have been made for information on what would have been the 20th birthday of Ellis Cox, who was shot dead in Liverpool last June.
A number of people have been arrested in connection with the murder at Liver Industrial Estate, but no one has been charged yet.
The 19-year-old’s family and police have paid tribute to him and called for those with information to come forward.
He was shot in the back after a confrontation between his friends and another group of up to three males on Sunday 23 June.
Ellis Cox who was shot dead in June 2024. Pic: Merseyside Police
His mother Carolyn paid tribute in an appeal to coincide with what would have been his 20th birthday.
“He was so kind… so laid back, so calm, so mature for his age. And he was just funny. Very funny.
“He was my baby… no mum should have to bury a child. He was my life. And I don’t know what to do without him.”
Mum Carolyn Cox (left) and aunt Julie O’Toole (right) are looking for answers
Meanwhile, his aunt Julie O’Toole said he was “the sort of person I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone to say anything negative about. He was loyal, fiercely loyal… everything was about his family”.
To pay tribute to Ellis, Liverpool City Council will be lighting up the Cunard Building and Liverpool Town Hall in orange on Saturday.
DCI Steve McGrath does not believe Ellis was involved in criminality
Detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath, the senior investigating officer, spoke about the information gathered so far, six months on from Mr Cox’s murder.
“I’m satisfied that the group that he was with was probably the target… and I would say that’s got something in relation to do with localised drug dealing in that area. But Ellis had no involvement in that whatsoever,” he said.
He added that police are looking for “really significant pieces of evidence now”, including “trying to recover the firearm that was used in relation to this, looking to recover the bikes that were used by the offenders”.
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Mrs Cox also appealed for people to come forward with information.
“If you know anything, don’t let us get to [his] next birthday and still know nothing.
“We need to get justice for Ellis. And we need to get the people who took him from us off the streets.”
UK
Reward of £20,000 offered to identify parents of three siblings abandoned as babies over eight years
A £20,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the identification of the parents of three siblings found abandoned in London over eight years.
The Metropolitan Police said that despite more than 450 hours of CCTV being reviewed, the parents of the three children, known as Elsa, Roman and Harry, remain unidentified.
However, it is believed their mother has lived in an area of east London “over the past six years”.
Elsa was believed to be less than an hour old when she was found by a dog walker on 18 January last year, in East Ham, east London.
In the months that followed it was found that she had two siblings who were also abandoned in similar circumstances, in the same area of London, in 2017 and 2019.
On Saturday, police said the independent group Crimestoppers had offered a £20,000 reward for information passed to the charity, which will expire on 18 April.
Detective Inspector Jamie Humm, of the Met’s child abuse investigation team, said: “We have carried out extensive inquiries over the past year to try and locate Elsa’s parents.
Baby Roman. Pic: Met Police/PA
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“This has involved reviewing over 450 hours of CCTV and completing a full DNA structure of the mother.
“We have serious concerns for the wellbeing of the parents, especially the mother, and are continuing to work closely with Newham Council and appeal for the public’s help for information.
“I believe that someone in the area will have been aware of the mother’s pregnancies and that within the community there may be (or) have been concerns for this mother’s welfare.
“Thanks to the DNA work of forensic colleagues, police will be able to eliminate any unconnected person quickly and easily, as such I would ask you to contact police with confidence.”
The baby was found at the junction of Greenway and High Street South in Newham. Pic: PA
Elsa was found wrapped in a towel in a reusable shopping bag, of which police have also released a new image, and was kept warm by the dog walker. She was uninjured.
Police said at the time that it was “highly likely” that she was born after a “concealed pregnancy”.
The Boots bag in which Baby Elsa was found abandoned by a dog walker in Newham on 18 January 2024. Pic: Met Police/PA
The BBC reported that at an initial court hearing, East London Family Court was told it took doctors three hours to record Elsa’s temperature because of the cold, and the Met Office said that temperatures dropped to as low as -4C on the night she was found.
Hospital staff named her Elsa in a reference to the character from the film Frozen.
The police investigation into the identity of the children’s parents continues, and anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or post @MetCC ref Operation Wolcott.
People can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously at any time on 0800 555 111 or via Crimestoppers-uk.org.
Fresh appeals have been made for information on what would have been the 20th birthday of Ellis Cox, who was shot dead in Liverpool last June.
A number of people have been arrested in connection with the murder at Liver Industrial Estate, but no one has been charged yet.
The 19-year-old’s family and police have paid tribute to him and called for those with information to come forward.
He was shot in the back after a confrontation between his friends and another group of up to three males on Sunday 23 June.
Ellis Cox who was shot dead in June 2024. Pic: Merseyside Police
His mother Carolyn paid tribute in an appeal to coincide with what would have been his 20th birthday.
“He was so kind… so laid back, so calm, so mature for his age. And he was just funny. Very funny.
“He was my baby… no mum should have to bury a child. He was my life. And I don’t know what to do without him.”
Mum Carolyn Cox (left) and aunt Julie O’Toole (right) are looking for answers
Ellis’ mum described him as ‘kind” and “funny. Pic: Merseyside Police
Meanwhile, his aunt Julie O’Toole said he was “the sort of person I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone to say anything negative about. He was loyal, fiercely loyal… everything was about his family”.
To pay tribute to Ellis, Liverpool City Council will be lighting up the Cunard Building and Liverpool Town Hall in orange on Saturday.
DCI Steve McGrath does not believe Ellis was involved in criminality
Detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath, the senior investigating officer, spoke about the information gathered so far, six months on from Mr Cox’s murder.
“I’m satisfied that the group that he was with was probably the target… and I would say that’s got something in relation to do with localised drug dealing in that area. But Ellis had no involvement in that whatsoever,” he said.
He added that police are looking for “really significant pieces of evidence now”, including “trying to recover the firearm that was used in relation to this, looking to recover the bikes that were used by the offenders”.
Read more from Sky News:
The Commons venue that changed political history
Link between A&E waiting times and chance of death
Missing sisters made earlier visit to same bridge
Mrs Cox also appealed for people to come forward with information.
“If you know anything, don’t let us get to [his] next birthday and still know nothing.
“We need to get justice for Ellis. And we need to get the people who took him from us off the streets.”
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