Man dies after being swept away in river as Storm Bert causes flooding across UK

The second named storm of the season has brought more than 80% of November’s average monthly rainfall in less than 48 hours, with more than 100 flood warnings still in place in England, Scotland and Wales.

North Wales Police said a body had been found in the area of Gower Road, Trefiw, in north-west Wales near the Afon Conwy river, where 75-year-old Brian Perry went missing on Saturday while walking his dog.

The body has not been formally identified but Mr Perry’s family has been informed.

In a statement on Facebook on Sunday afternoon, Chief Inspector Simon Kneale of North Wales Police said: “I would like to thank the efforts of all agencies involved in the searches in very difficult conditions and for the local community who supported the teams in the area.

“Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time and they have asked that their privacy is respected.”

A major incident has been declared in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area of South Wales, which has been one of the worst-hit areas with 80% of a month’s rain falling in less than 48 hours.

Between two and three hundred properties have been affected by flooding in the area, while the Environment Agency (EA) estimates 80 properties in England have flooded so far.

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council said the impact of the flooding was “looking to be more significant than the severe impact experienced during Storm Dennis” in 2020.

At a press conference in Pontypridd on Sunday afternoon, council leader Andrew Morgan said the weather was worse than forecast.

“I am amazed that it was only a yellow weather warning issued,” he said.

“We absolutely thought on Saturday… we were preparing for the possibility of an amber warning.

“It didn’t come but we took the decision ourselves to step up our resources and have depots open and crews in.

“I am surprised there wasn’t a red warning issued. During Storm Dennis we saw an amber warning in advance and a red warning issued in the early hours. I do think that will need to be reviewed shortly.”

Rest centres have been set up for residents impacted at Pontypridd Library, Ystrad Sports Centre, Sobell Leisure Centre and Cynon Valley Indoor Bowls Centre.

Since the storm began in the early hours of Saturday, 149mm of rain has fallen in Tyn-Y-Waun in Mid Glamorgan, Wales.

On average, the area sees 180mm of rain in the whole of November, Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said.

In England, 135.7mm of rain has been recorded from the beginning of the storm until 11am on Sunday in White Barrow in Devon, which is around half of the total rainfall typical in November.

Severe flooding blocked railway lines between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury on Sunday morning but all lines have now reopened.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Significant river and surface water flooding is possible in parts of England on Sunday, especially in the South West, the West Midlands, and the Calder Valley in the North of England due to heavy rain and recent snowmelt.

“Minor impacts are possible more widely across England, which may continue in places until Tuesday.

“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding and will support local authorities in their response.”

People are being told to stay away from swollen rivers and urged not to drive through flood water.

West Midlands Fire Service said its crews rescued a person trapped in a car stranded in floodwater in Walsall on Sunday morning.

The storm is continuing to cause disruption across the UK this afternoon and wind warnings remain in place with gusts of up to 70mph forecast for exposed areas.

As windy conditions persist, some attractions have been closed. Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland is closed on Sunday and all of London’s Royal Parks, including Greenwich Park and Primrose Hill, are shut.

The Met Office issued a fourth wind warning for the UK on Sunday morning, which covers central and eastern parts of England from until 9pm.

The national weather service has warned of very strong winds on Sunday which it says are likely to bring disruption to transport, and dangerous coastal and marine conditions.

Greater Anglia, which operates trains from London Liverpool Street to Stanstead Airport, cancelled 52 services on Sunday afternoon as fallen trees damaged the railway’s overhead electric wires.

Three men died on the roads during Storm Bert on Saturday, including a man in his 60s who was killed after a tree fell on a car on the A34 near Winchester.

A 34-year-old man died in a single-vehicle collision in Shipley, West Yorkshire, while a man in his 40s died in a crash on the A45 near Flore, Northamptonshire.

It is unclear if the incidents were related to Storm Bert.