Storm Frank Begins To Batter UK - But Some People Are Particularly Concerned About Their Bins

People Are Really Concerned About Whether Their Bins Will Survive Storm Frank
Flood water in the city of York as York Minster is seen in the distance, following the weekend's flooding.
Flood water in the city of York as York Minster is seen in the distance, following the weekend's flooding.
Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

The UK is facing further flooding misery as Storm Frank batters the country - but there has been a typically British response from some people.

While some areas of the country experienced gales of up to 90mph, it seems many people are particularly concerned about…their bins.

People voiced their fears for their recycling boxes…

Many Brits have far more to worry about, however as the storm continues to wreak havoc around the country.

Thousands of homes have experienced power cuts while hundreds have been evacuated over fears of rising flood water.

On Tuesday night, soldiers were sent in to move people out of their homes near around the storm-battered bridge at Tadcaster after it started to collapse, prompting fears of flooding and a possible gas explosion, the Press Association reports.

A severe flood warning was issued for the bridge over the River Wharfe in the North Yorkshire town, with the Environment Agency (EA) warning people to leave immediately because of a "significant risk to life".

The 18th-century bridge started to collapse into the swollen river at around 5pm, with a crowd gathering as masonry fell into the swirling torrent.

The bridge at Tadcaster collapsed during the storm

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "Significant flooding is expected in the Tadcaster area. Those in this area are advised to evacuate immediately.

"The situation is serious and there is a significant risk to life. Please follow the advice of the emergency services and officials in the area."

People watching ran as a wave headed towards the bank and a strong smell of gas came from pipes left visible in the gaping hole.

Emergency services arrived quickly before soldiers were deployed to evacuate people from homes and helped police set up a 200m cordon, saying it was "due to fears of a gas explosion".

Meanwhile, in York, police condemned thieves who looted homes submerged in dirty water. North Yorkshire Police's Acting Superintendent Mark Grange said: "It is extremely disappointing to see victims of the floods being targeted in this way.

"It is impossible to comprehend why anyone would want to bring further suffering to those who are already in a very vulnerable situation."

The Environment Agency had earlier warned of the potential for further significant flooding, especially in Cumbria, while floods minister Rory Stewart said a potentially "very bad situation" lay ahead.

In many areas the ground is still saturated from previous downpours and river levels remain at record highs.

Waters are receding, but across the North, more than 6,700 homes have flooded in the past week.

There are currently four severe flood warnings, 46 flood warnings and 81 flood alerts in place across England and Wales.

Scotland was also bracing itself with Met Office amber "be prepared" warnings issued for today in all mainland regions outside the Highlands. There were also 36 flood warnings and 14 flood alerts in place.

A red weather warning was issued for the Isle of Man overnight, with up to 100mm of rain expected on high ground.

Floodwaters surround Tadcaster

Northern Ireland has also experienced a battering by the storm.

Northern Ireland Electricity Networks said late last night it had experienced faults which caused more than 2,000 homes in Enniskillen to lose power, while there were also outages in Coleraine.

And passengers on nine flights into Belfast International Airport were temporarily held on planes as high winds of up to 55 knots, about 63 mph, prevented ground crews getting access steps in place.

Two other inbound flights from Luton and Tenerife had to be diverted to Dublin, the airport said.

A Belfast International Airport spokesman added: "The high wind warning lasts until the early hours of Wednesday morning. Some airlines have cancelled flights, so we would ask passengers to please contact their airline for updates."

Winter weather Dec 30th 2015

UK Flooding

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