At least three people have died as a result of Storm Babet that is battering the northern part of the UK.
In Scotland, at least two people were reported to have died as a result of the extreme weather, and a man has died after getting caught in fast-flowing flood water in Shropshire, England. Meanwhile, while a plane in the north of England skidded off a runway.
Eastern Scotland continued to bear the brunt of the stormy weather. On Friday, the Met Office issued a new “red” warning, its highest, for parts of the region through Saturday.
“This is not usual autumn weather,” said Andy Page, the Met’s chief meteorologist. “This is an exceptional event, and we are likely to continue to see significant impacts with the potential for further flooding and damage to properties.”
A 57-year-old woman died on Thursday after being swept into a river in the region of Angus, where hundreds of homes were evacuated. Also on Thursday, a 56-year-old man died after his van hit a falling tree in the same area.
On Friday, a man in his 60s died after in the town of Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire on Friday, West Mercia Police said.
Though forecasters said the worst of the heavy rain in Scotland had passed, they warned that conditions will remain difficult, with river levels still on the rise and flood defences breached. Some parts of the town of Brechin are only accessible by boat after its flood defences were overwhelmed by the heavy rainfall, raising concerns about further loss of life.
The storm has already brought more than a month’s worth of rain in the worst-affected regions in Scotland and was pummeling many parts of northern England on Friday.
See pictures below:
Storm Babet: In Pictures
At Leeds Bradford Airport, a flight arriving from the Greek island of Corfu slid off the runway while landing.
“We are working with the airline, relevant operations teams and emergency authorities to address this situation and remove passengers from the aircraft safely,” a spokesperson for the airport said.
In northeastern England, a lighthouse at the mouth of the River Tyne lost its distinctive red and white dome. Port of Tyne officials said it was not yet safe to assess the damage to the South Shields lighthouse while weather conditions remained dangerous.