Storm Babet: Woman dies after being swept into river amid ‘unprecendented rainfall’ in Scotland
A woman has died and hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes amid “unprecedented” levels of rainfall from Storm Babet.
Thousands more homes across eastern Scotland have been left without power due to the destructive storm – which has prompted a rare red warning from the Met Office.
Shona Robison, Scotland’s deputy first minister, has warned the worst impacts of the storm are yet to come.
Police say a 57-year-old woman died after being swept into the Water of Lee, a river in the eastern area of Angus.
Officials have also warned that the River South Esk, which runs through the town of Brechin, could be about to breach flood defences.
Storm Babet latest: Body found in river; evacuation order in place
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River overtops bridge in Scotland
‘Serious risk to life’
Angus Council say the river could soon reach “unprecedented” levels.
“The latest modelling is that river levels could reach an unprecedented 5 metres above normal levels,” the council said.
“The Brechin flood defences are designed to deal with river levels of 3.8 metres.
“This means that there is a serious risk to life from excessive flooding.”
A fallen tree in Brechin
Earlier, the authority ordered the evacuation of 400 homes in and around the town of Brechin.
Fire crews and the coastguard have been involved in the evacuation efforts.
Rest centres have been set up in Brechin, Montrose and Forfar.
Four severe flood warnings are in place along the South Esk and North Esk – for Brechin, Marykirk, Logie Mill and Craigo, and Finavon and Tannadice.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued 12 flood alerts and 16 flood warnings.
It had earlier warned of “unprecedented” levels of rain for the north east of Scotland.
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Storm Babet forces evacuations in red alert area
Some 18,500 homes in Scotland have been hit by power cuts, according to the Scottish and Southern Electricity Network (SSEN).
There has also been disruption due to travel, including on the train lines where a number of services have been cancelled, while flights to and from Aberdeen Airport have been cancelled due to the storm.
A number of attractions across Aberdeenshire have been forced to close, including the grounds of the royal residence, Balmoral Castle.
Funerals in Aberdeenshire have also been postponed until at least next week, the council has said.
Videos have also emerged of huge waves hitting Stonehaven Harbour in Aberdeenshire.
‘Protecting public our priority’
Following a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) on Thursday evening, Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said: “Protecting the public is our immediate priority and we are co-ordinating a national effort to ensure that people are safe.”
Waves seen crashing into Stonehaven Harbour in Aberdeenshire
Waves seen crashing into Stonehaven Harbour in Aberdeenshire
Ms Robison added: “The red warning has been expanded to cover further parts of Scotland and we expect weather conditions to deteriorate seriously overnight.
“Our message is clear – if you live in the areas covered by the red warning, please stay at home and do not travel, unless advised to relocate to a rest centre.
“With weather warnings in place for much of the country, I would urge everyone to be vigilant and to exercise extreme caution.”
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The unusual nature of Storm Babet
Met Office extends red alert
On Thursday, the Met Office extended its red weather warning from Aberdeenshire and Angus in eastern Scotland to cover the area north of Perth and Aberfeldy on Thursday.
The storm could bring up to 220mm of rain in some areas of eastern Scotland, an amount close to the highest ever 24-hour total for a “rainfall day”, Met Office figures show.
The storm is expected to rage overnight and into the weekend, with amber warnings for wind and rain issued for parts of northern England, the Midlands and northern Wales from noon on Friday to 6am on Saturday.
The Met Office weather warnings for Friday 20 October
But amber warnings still raise the prospect of injuries and danger to life, power cuts and damage to buildings and flooding.
A yellow warning for Northern Ireland is also in place from 3am on Friday to 9am on Saturday.
A further yellow rain warning covering the north and east of England and north Wales is also in place from midnight on Thursday to 6am on Saturday.
Storm Babet hit Ireland on Wednesday after sweeping in from the Atlantic, bringing with it heavy rainfall and causing extensive flooding in parts of the country.
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”.
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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.”
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