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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Mark Tran Damien Gayle and Ben Quinn

Storm Frank: Tadcaster evacuated as bridge partially collapses - as it happened

Tables and chairs were floating around everywhere’ says Sue Hardy as she describes how her restaurant in York was affected by the flooding.

Looters targeted flooded York homes

Looters targeted several flooded homes in York, according to police, who have been giving details of the thefts.

A number of houses were targeted into in a city street while they were submerged in dirty water, according to North Yorkshire police.

The Press Association reports:

It came as a huge clear-up got under way in York as falling river levels and repairs to industrial water pumps saw many flooded streets drained of filthy water.

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 homes were targeted in the early hours of December 28 in Huntington Road, which was submerged by the River Foss at the time.

One home was burgled after the back door was forced, while at a second tools were taken from a shed.

A picture (taken on December 27) of Huntingdon Road and Yearsley Crescent covered by floodwater after the River Ouse and River Foss bursts their banks in York city centre.
A picture (taken on December 27) of Huntingdon Road and Yearsley Crescent covered by floodwater after the River Ouse and River Foss bursts their banks in York city centre. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA

The deputy chief constable of North Yorkshire police tweets:

Updated

As they return to their flood-damaged homes, residents of York have been expressing anger and frustration about government decisions and the lack of adequate warning after years of false alarms.

Here is some video capturing their views.

Residents of York express anger and frustration about government decisions and the lack of adequate warnings.

Here are some more images from the scene in Tadcaster, including photographers of some of the troops who have been drafted in to help with evacuations of residents from homes.

Emergency services personnel are seen at the scene of a collapsed road bridge in Tadcaster.
Emergency services personnel are seen at the scene of a collapsed road bridge in Tadcaster. Photograph: Reuters
Emergency services and evacuated residents in Tadcaster.
Emergency services and evacuated residents in Tadcaster. Photograph: Reuters

Updated

Some Tadcaster residents have meanwhile been plunged into darkness as a power cut hit the part of the town which lies to the east of the river.

It’s not clear if this is linked to the bridge collapse.

Evacuated residents and emergency personnel are seen at the scene of a collapsed road bridge in Tadcaster.
Evacuated residents and emergency personnel are seen at the scene of a collapsed road bridge in Tadcaster. Photograph: STRINGER/Reuters

Updated

Here’s the Environment Agency map showing, in dark purple, the areas of Tadcaster where flood warnings are in place.

Environment agency flood warning for Tadcaster.
Environment agency flood warning for Tadcaster. Photograph: Environmental agency handout

The Conservative MP for the local constituency of Selby and Ansty, Nigel Adams, has said he was visiting the scene earlier.

He said: “It was a few hours before it collapsed. We did go on to have a look at some of the damage. In hindsight, we shouldn’t have been on it.

“But I thought it was important that I showed the secretary of state the severity of the damage and the impact.”

“We are where we are now. We need to try and ensure that it’s repaired as soon as practically possible and that every possible resource be available to the highways, to the county council to make that happens.”

Updated

Government releases extra £50m in funding

An extra £50m in official funding has been released, which the government says will be available immediately to local authorities to help them support households and businesses affected by floods.

The funding extends the total level of of support pledged by the government for the winter floods to more than £100m, according to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Communities secretary Greg Clark also said that the Bellwin scheme, which was activated following storm Desmond, would be extended to those councils impacted by storm Eva over Christmas. It means that local authorities will be able to apply to have 100% of their costs above threshold reimbursed through the scheme.

“No-one could fail to be moved by the scenes of devastation left in the wake of storm Eva – we’re determined to ensure all those affected get the support they need quickly,” said Clark.

Clark’s department said that the money would, for example, help with temporary accommodation costs while authorities worked to get people back into their homes.

They added that it would support people as they protected their homes against future floods by providing grants of up to £5,000, so they can install new flood barriers, replace doors and windows with water resistant alternatives or move electricity sockets up to a safer level.

Updated

The emergency services are still hard at it elsewhere. North Yorkshire fire service says it has just rescued four people from a car which was stuck in flood water in the York area.

Homes in Tadcaster are being evacuated on either side of the bridge while people are being taken to a rest centre at Tadcaster Grammar school, according to North Yorkshire Police.

The school is to the west, on the town’s outskirts.

The earlier decision to close the bridge due to structural fears had “almost certainly saved lives”, according to Johnny Lyttle, a civil engineer working on flood risk management projects in Yorkshire and the North East.

Updated

The best picture so far showing the Tadcaster bridge collapse.

Severe flood warning issued after Tadcaster bridge collapse

People are being evacuated in Tadcaster after the Environment Agency issued a severe flood warning in response to the bridge collapse there. The warning, issued at 5.47pm on Tuesday says:

This severe flood warning has been issued due to the structural failure of Tadcaster Bridge over the river Wharfe in Tadcaster. 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.

Pictures have begun circulating on Twitter showing the massive emergency services response to the collapse.

David Wiseman, a member of rescue NGO Team Rubicon, who is on the scene in Tadcaster, says he thinks the collapse of the bridge may be down to the weight of debris hitting it over several days of floods.

He says that, with the debris from the collapse now adding to the blockages in the river Wharfe, he now fears that much of the clean-up work by his team, locals and emergency services could be undone by fresh flooding.

Wiseman, who is incidentally a Tadcaster local, told Sky News:

The bridge collapse, I think, is due to the sheer weight of water which is pressing against that bridge for so many days, and also the cumulative effect of just tree upon tree, all that debris flowing down that river and just smashing into that bridge over the past few days.

The effect of that closure, that could be closed now for months on end, and it’s just going to get the down in half

He praised the work of the community and emergency services in cleaning up the town after severe floods just 36 hours earlier, but added:

What we are worried about now is that debris that’s fallen under the bridge will create an obstacle for more debris that will be flooding down on the heavy rains top come. It would just be a travesty if there is more floods to come as a result of that debris and flood the hard work that we have done over the past few days.

Updated

Sarah Topping was close to the Tadcaster bridge as it collapsed and managed to capture this video of it crumbling into the swollen river Wharfe.

Local paper the Harrogate Advertiser reports that the bridge has been closed to the public since Saturday. There are reports, it says, that people are being evacuated from the area. PA reporter Dave Higgens also has some slightly clearer video, showing the immediate aftermath of the collapse.

North Yorkshire police has tweeted to ask people to stay away from the area around the bridge.

Updated

Helen Pidd, the Guardian’s north of England editor, has been in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, to see the clean-up efforts after the worst floods that anyone in the town can remember.

A group of Syrian refugees from Manchester had even pitched up ready to help, and were put to work shovelling sand into sandbags, in the car park of the Conservative club in Littleborough.

“We saw the pictures on TV and wanted to help,” said Yasser al-Jassem, 35, a teacher who came to Britain in the back of a lorry from Calais in May. “The people of Greater Manchester have been very good to us and so we wanted to offer our help to them.”

But many of the 180 households who were flooded out in Littleborough, a few miles north of Rochdale town centre, when the river Roach burst its banks on Saturday, didn’t see the point in protecting their homes. They turned their noses up at the sandbags. “There’s nowt left to protect,” said Sean Whitham, whose terrace on Todmorden Road was one of the worst affected.

Residents in Littleborough, where 180 households have been flooded out, clear up their homes
Residents in Littleborough, where 180 households have been flooded out, clear up their homes Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

Updated

Partial bridge collapse in Tadcaster

Part of the historic bridge in the centre of Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, has collapsed into the River Wharfe.

The road was closed due to fears over the structural safety of the bridge but a small crowd gathered on Tuesday evening as stone could be heard falling into the water and creaking noises could be heard.

Just before 5pm a huge chunk of the bridge fell into the water.

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.

Updated

The government has been paying rich landowners to install flood defences that effectively channel water downstream to residential areas, George Monbiot reports this evening. He writes:

These floods were not just predictable; they were predicted. There were clear and specific warnings that the management of land upstream of the towns now featuring in the news would lead to disaster. On 9 December one of my readers told me this. “I live in the middle of Foss drainage board land above York, where flooding would not harm a single property but water is sent down as fast as possible to York.” A few days later another reader wrote to me, warning that “upstream flood banks now protect crops, not the city of York”. On 26 December the Foss exploded into York.

It’s a complaint I’ve heard repeatedly: internal drainage boards – which are public bodies but tend to be mostly controlled by landowners – often prioritise the protection of farmland above the safety of towns and cities downstream. By straightening, embanking and dredging rivers where they cut through fields, the boards accelerate the flow of water, making flooding downstream more likely. When heavy rain falls, some land must flood. We have a choice: fields or cities. And all over Britain, we have chosen badly.

For several years campaigners in Hebden Bridge have been begging the government to stop the drainage and burning of the grouse moors upstream. Eighteen months ago I visited the town, where activists told me that, thanks to the damage inflicted on the bogs and deep vegetation of the moors, which reduces their capacity to hold water, it was only a matter of time before Hebden Bridge was wrecked again by flash floods. Their warnings were not just ignored, but – if such a thing is possible – actively disregarded.

Have you got your flood kit ready?

With hours to go until Storm Frank is expected to hit, bringing fresh flooding to many parts of the UK, here is some advice on how to minimise the impact of flooding.

The advice comes from the Association of British Insurers, who unsurprisingly recommend you keep your insurance policy details close by in the event of any crisis.

A reminder that fire and rescue workers from across the country have given up their Christmas holidays to provide support to inundated communities across the north.

Water rescue experts from Northamptonshire fire and rescue have been deployed in Yorkshire since Boxing Day, helping residents in areas deep under water.

Members of the Army and rescue teams help evacuate people from flooded properties on Sunday after they became trapped by rising floodwater when the River Ouse bursts its banks in York city centre
Members of the Army and rescue teams help evacuate people from flooded properties on Sunday after they became trapped by rising floodwater when the River Ouse bursts its banks in York city centre Photograph: John Giles/PA

Their officers have so far been sent to areas including Hebden Bridge, Leeds, Halifax and York, helping to evacuate people and carrying out welfare visits. Area manager Mark Ainge said:

Northamptonshire fire and rescue service are very proud of our firefighters and the support they have provided to the communities of West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Our firefighters are well trained and professional specialist teams. These firefighters have committed to support this deployment on rest days and many have curtailed their family gatherings and Christmas celebrations to make themselves available to support this national deployment and help communities in other counties.

Updated

Ireland, too has faced flooding. And one woman took the opportunity to be exceedingly silly by tying a rope to the back of a 4x4 and wakeboarding through flooded roads in Tipperary.

The waterskier, who cut a wake down the N65 road to Galway, was later named by Irish men’s site JOE.ie as Lindsay Whelan.

Oisin Harding captured the video and posted it on Facebook on Monday, where it has since been viewed more than 845,ooo times. It was subsequently picked up and reported by JOE.ie, who were contacted by a woman claiming to be the wakeboarder’s sister.

York residents express anger and frustration about government decisions and the lack of adequate warning after years of false alarms as they return to their flood-damaged homes, in this video from ITN.

With a layer of silt covering the entire ground floor of his house, Rodger Pierce accuses politicians of hiding behind the emergency services to deflect from the decision they made to cut funding

The number of flood alerts, which call for residents to be prepared for possible flooding, has been upgraded to 71 from 49 earlier in the day.

To check if your area is one of those that could be flooded as heavy rains move in tonight check the Environment Agency’s latest flood warnings. Most of the new flood alerts seem to be clustered around Devon and Cornwall, south-west England.

Updated

Appleby, Braithwaite, Cockermouth, Egremont, Flimby, Glenridding and Keswick are the main areas of concern in Cumbria ahead of the arrival of Storm Frank, police have said.

Cumbria is one of the regions specifically mentioned by the Met Offices amber warning for rainfall overnight and into tomorrow, although the police statement says they are not expected disruption as bad as that caused by Storm Desmond earlier this month. Superintendent Mark Pannone, of Cumbria Constabulary, said:

The further spell of rain and high winds is likely to cause some disruption across north and west Cumbria. The Strategic Coordination Group are doing everything possible to ensure that the county is prepared for the forecasted conditions.

I would advise those who live or work in the areas of concern to keep up to date with the latest weather forecasts and Environment Agency advice.

I would also like to take this opportunity to reassure the Cumbrian public that all agencies are ensuring that staff are in place to respond to any potential incidents throughout the next 24 hours.

The army’s north-west England press office has posted this video of a Chinook silhouetted against grey skies as it airlifts sandbags to fill the breach in flood defences near Croston, Lancashire, scene of some of Boxing Day’s worst flooding.

The fight is on to stop conditions in the town worsening tonight when Storm Frank brings heavy downpours across the west coast of Britain and in Northern Ireland. The Environment Agency currently has three severe flood warnings in place for Croston.

Updated

Flooding in York has inundated the city’s well-known Jorvik tourist attraction for the first time in its 32-year history. The exhibition features an underground ride around a mock-up of a Viking city. But today groups of mannequin families and warriors stood in the dark, in more than a foot of dirty river water.

Someone is blaming the EU for the flooding.

Lib Dems call on chancellor to guarantee additional funding for repairs

The Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has called on the chancellor George Osborne to guarantee additional funding to repair infrastructure in flooded areas.

In a letter to the chancellor, Farron said:

The government’s approach to flood defences is short-sighted. In 2012, I said more funding was needed to deal with the torrential rain and ‘freak’ weather that was becoming more prevalent. In the years since I have repeated that call and do so again today. We need to urgently review every shelved flood defence scheme. The prime minister pulling on his wellies, wading through some water for a photo op and doing a couple of interviews does not make people believe he is doing enough. He needs to show he cares about the north by following up his words with deeds.

Farron - a Cumbrian MP - asked the chancellor:

  • To match fund the flood appeals for people in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester in the same way that you have agreed to match fund the Cumbria Foundation’s flood appeal up to £2m.
  • To provide a date on when we will hear about the review of flood defence projects and to guarantee additional funding for repairing infrastructure in affected areas. An initial £50m fund is only 10% of the cost of flood damage of Storm Desmond, according to PriceWaterhouseCoopers and further investment is vital.
  • To extend the scope of the National Infrastructure Commission and ask it to report on how the UK can best be protected from floods in the long-term.

Updated

Littleborough, Greater Manchester
Residents clearing up after the Boxing Day floods in Littleborough, Greater Manchester. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian
Skeldergate, York
Rescue crews help residents collect their belongings from houses in Skeldergate in York. Photograph: Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images
Jorvik tourist attraction in York
The Jorvik Tourist attraction in York which has been closed due to the flooding. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Lord Krebs, a member of the climate change committee, which provides advice to the government, has in effect accused the government of complacency on flood defence. Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s the World at One, he said:

The biggest single risk from climate change to this country is the increased likelihood of flooding ... We have in our report to parliament highlighted this as the number one risk and we have said the government needs to rethink its whole strategy of managing flood risk. Unfortunately the government said in its reply ‘we’re very happy with what we’re doing at the moment.’ I hope as a result of recent events, the government will look again.

Krebs said the government needed to think again about building homes in areas of flood risk, pointing out that 4,500 homes a year were being built in medium- to high-risk areas. He also said there was a need to manage water.

We’ve made it more difficult for the uplands to absorb water. Instead we’ve channelled it into gullies so it runs straight off the hills down into the valleys and causes problems of flooding.

Updated

Rory Stewart, the floods minister, has been challenged over his contention that it would take seven to eight months to get EU solidarity funding for the floods. A press spokesman for Lib Dem MEP Catherine Bearder has contacted the Guardian to dispute Stewart’s assertion.

Under new rules, 10% of the funding could be made available almost immediately as an advance payment. If the latest estimates of £5bn damage are correct, this means the UK would be entitled to £125m of funding in total and £12.5m immediately.

Bearder recently met EU commissioner Corina Cretu who confirmed the UK would be eligible for this funding and was surprised no application is being made, as it has to be made within 12 weeks of when the flooding first hit.

Bearder said:

It is baffling that the government has still not applied for EU solidarity funding. Millions of pounds could be made available within weeks to help hard-hit communities rebuild. The Conservatives must not allow their divisions over Europe to deprive flood victims of desperately-needed funds.

This is what the EU commission has to say about applications for EU solidarity funding.

The 10% advance payment can be made available on average within four to six weeks from the date of the application, following a commission decision. The remaining amount of the EUSF aid is paid out on average within six to nine from the date of the application. The procedure requires several steps: assessment of the application, commission communication proposing an amount of aid to the European parliament and council who have to approve it before it can be paid out. Once the appropriations become available in the EU budget the commission adopts a decision awarding the aid.

EU officials say flooding in Cumbria is likely to qualify as a regional disaster under the EU solidarity fund if direct damage in Cumbria is confirmed to exceed €166m and if the UK government submits an application by the end of the 12 weeks deadline, i.e. end of February.

The EU has a 2014-2020 operational programme for England with a dedicated investment priority for “Promoting Climate Change Adaptation, Risk Prevention and Management”. This channels investments from the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF) into flood and coastal risk measures to safeguard and enable sustainable economic growth. The ERDF amount allocated for these particular investments equals roughly €70m. ERDF seeks to help communities, businesses and the local economy adapt to changing weather patterns with the objective to significantly reduce flood and coastal risk for 7,000 business premises.

Updated

Henry McDonald has more on Storm Frank and Ireland.

Ten-metre high waves have been spotted off the Irish coast, according to Met Eireann at lunchtime today. Meanwhile, people living alongside Ireland’s longest river, the Shannon, have been advised to stay indoors if at all possible through Tuesday.

Met Éireann said that upwards of 40mm of rain is expected in counties Donegal, Monaghan, Cavan, Sligo, Roscommon, Mayo, Leitrim, Clare, Limerick, Tipperary as well as all of the Leinster region on the east coast except Wicklow over the next 24 hours from this afternoon.

One casualty of the heavy rain and flooding that has blighted Christmas in the west of Ireland was today’s scheduled race meeting at Limerick, which was cancelled for the second time in a week.

Updated

Head of Environment Agency heads back to UK from Barbados

The head of the Environment Agency is returning to the UK from holiday in the Caribbean amid criticism of his absence from the UK as the body battles with some of Britain’s worst flooding for decades, writes Ben Quinn.

After avoiding the question of Sir Philip Diley’s whereabouts amid reports that he was at his luxury home on Barbados, the agency finally released a statement shortly before lunchtime saying that he had spent Christmas on the island with his family.

“He is keeping in regular touch with the Environment Agency on its response to the current flooding, and available to participate in any necessary discussions,” it added. ”He has been in Barbados where his family are from and we’re expecting him back in the UK in the next 24 hours.

The agency went on to say that Dilley had visited the north of England recently when he toured Cumbria on 14 December. Dilley’s predecessor as chair of the EA, Chris Smith, faced severe criticism during flooding last year when he was accused of failing to visit flood-hit Somerset soon enough.

The agency’s current chair, whose previous roles including executive chairman of Arup, took the post in September last year. He earns £100,000 a year and spends two to three days a week in his role.

Shortly after becoming chair, Dilley made a promise to visit the scene of any serious flooding in the UK while he was at the helm, saying he had learned from the misfortune of Smith.

“I chair the board of the agency and I agree there is a sort of figurehead position that is crucial for perception,” he said in his first interview after taking the job.

The Labour MP for Rochdale, Simon Danczuk, was among those voicing criticism this week. “I think it’s fair to ask why he has not visited the north of England over the past few days to explain what the agency is doing,” he told the Telegraph. “We should draw a comparison with the previous chairman, who did try to explain what the Environment Agency does.”

Updated

Damien Gayle has a weather roundup, with Yorkshire communities along the rivers Aire, Ouse and Swale expected to bear the brunt of fresh flooding.

Residents in northern England, south and central Scotland and Northern Ireland should brace themselves for yet more downpours and potential new flooding overnight, as Storm Frank brings another spell of wet and windy weather set to fall on already waterlogged ground.

Severe flood warnings are already in place in nine areas in England, with the Environment Agency warning people in a further 42 locations to take immediate action ahead of expected flooding.

Yorkshire communities along the rivers Aire, Ouse and Swale are expected to bear the brunt of the fresh flooding, according to the EA alerts. But floods are also expected in Keswick in Cumbria, Maghull in Merseyside, around the English Dee from Shocklach to Chester, and even as far south as Tewkesbury in Chester. Forty-nine flood alerts are in place up and down the country.

Scotland has one flood warning, around Glen Lyon in the Perth and Kinross region, and a further 14 alerts that flooding is possible.

The weather across northern England and central Scotland will get progressively worse overnight and into tomorrow. Storm Frank, blowing in from the Atlantic, will first hit Northern Ireland, where a Met Office severe weather warning of prolonged heavy rain is in place from 9pm.

North-west England, which has seen some of the worst of the floods in recent days, will be hit just after midnight, with a Met Office amber warning calling for residents to be prepared for possible disruption.

Updated

Henry McDonald in Belfast has sent this update on Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

An amber weather warning has been issued for parts of Northern Ireland with roads already closed due to flooding, ferries to Scotland cancelled and the police telling motorists to avoid coastal areas over the next 24 hours.

Severe gales are expected across the region from 3pm this afternoon to late into Tuesday night. Six roads in rural parts of counties Down, Tyrone and Fermanagh are closed, with more expected due to flooding as Storm Frank batters the province later.

A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: “Due to anticipated severe weather conditions, high winds, heavy rain and predicted high tides over the next 36 hours, motorists should be mindful of the dangers posed along all coastal roads.

“The areas of Newcastle Promenade, Ards Peninsula and the coastal route between Warrenpoint and Rostrevor should be treated with caution. Please observe all road closed signs.”

P&O has also cancelled its sailings between Larne and Cairnryan. Passengers booked on the 1.30pm sailing have been advised to reschedule or expect disruption or possible cancellation. In anticipation of flooding, sandbags have been distributed in Omagh.

Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland, the coastguard has issued a warning to all vessels off the south and west coast to seek shelter ahead of stormy and windy conditions this afternoon. The Irish coastguard also urged people living in coastal areas to “stay back, stay high and stay dry”.

Met Eireann, Ireland’s weather service, said there could be gusts of up to 120km an hour for counties Galway and Kerry today.

Updated

To clamp down on thieves – described by one victim as the “scum of the earth” – police in the Calderdale Valleys region have accepted help from motorcycle clubs to provide extra patrols, PA reports.

Some thieves are preying on flood victims who have left their property out to dry, according to West Yorkshire police in the Calderdale Valleys.

A spokesman said: “As the cleanup of Mytholmroyd, Todmorden and Hebden Bridge continues, we are being made aware of persons attending the area and removing items which are being left outside properties either for disposal or to dry out.

“In order to ensure the safety of empty properties in the area, additional police resources have been drafted in from other districts and areas. In addition to this, several motorcycle clubs from the Bradford and surrounding areas have volunteered to patrol the area as extra eyes and ears on the ground.”

The Cycle Factory of Todmorden, a recently opened Calderdale bike shop, was damaged by the Boxing Day floods and now has been hit by looters.

In a Facebook post, a company spokesman said: “Struggling for words here we got flooded on Saturday as did a lot of people. Last night we were robbed by the scum of the earth praying on flood victims.”

Updated

Lunchtime summary

  • The environment secretary, Elizabeth Truss, who chaired a Cobra meeting this morning, says Environment Agency teams are deployed in large numbers in the worst affected and most at risk communities. “With Storm Frank forecast for this evening, we remain committed to doing everything we can to help those communities affected,” said Truss.
  • The Met Office says Storm Frank will bring gales or severe gales to western parts of the UK from Tuesday evening into Wednesday. Gusts of 55-65mph are likely, with gusts reaching 70-80mph in exposed areas, particularly in north-west Scotland, and later Shetland. Rainfall is expected to cause some disruption with persistent, heavy rain over parts of Northern Ireland, west and south-west Scotland, spreading to north-west England and Wales through Wednesday. The Met says everyone should be aware of the potential for disruption in places from further flooding and the impacts of the gales to transport, especially in areas such as southern and central Scotland and Cumbria where amber ‘be prepared’ warnings are in place.
  • The floods minister, Rory Stewart, defended the cuts made in the previous coalition government to flood defences, saying that £1.8bn had been spent in the last parliament. He said: “Rivers here which haven’t flooded in this way for 75 years are 15 feet up. I’m afraid that is the fundamental problem here. We are spending an enormous amount of money on flood defences. In the end what is beating us is this relentless rain.”
  • The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, called for cross-party agreement on a long-term plan. “We cannot be in a situation where there is stop-start investment,” he said. McDonnell rejected the argument that money for foreign aid should be spent on flood defence at home, saying that aid money is being spent on tackling climate change at source.

Updated

An amber warning for flooding has been issued for Northern Ireland, where several roads have been closed due to Storm Frank.

A road bridge in West Yorkshire has been closed after the carriageway crumbled and collapsed after the floods, the Press Association reports.

Elland Bridge, a busy route between Elland and Brighouse, near Huddersfield, could take months to repair. The road surface on the bridge, which crosses both the river Calder and Calder and Hebble Navigation canal, is understood to have partly collapsed in the early hours of this morning. Roads on to the bridge have been closed by police and Calderdale council said diversions are in place due to structural concerns.

Updated

EA remains 'committed to doing everything we can to help'

The environment secretary, Elizabeth Truss, who chaired a Cobra meeting this morning, says Environment Agency teams are deployed in large numbers in the worst affected and most at risk communities.

“With Storm Frank forecast for this evening, we remain committed to doing everything we can to help those communities affected,” the EA said in a statement.

In the longer term, Truss said:

I am also working to ensure that we have in place the long-term plans we need to protect our communities in the years ahead. We have capital investment confirmed for the next six years – a first for any government. We are already spending £2.3bn over that period to better protect 300,000 homes from flooding, but in light of recent events we need to be sure we have the very best possible plans in place for flood prevention and protection across the whole country. That is why we have already commenced a national flood resilience review to better protect the country from future flooding and increasingly extreme weather events.

Updated

The milk is getting through in York, despite flood disruption.

Bikers are showing their community spirit.

Seema Kenneday, Conservative MP for South Ribble, is grateful for help from the armed forces.

Storm Frank forces road closures in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is already being affected by Storm Frank. Several roads have been closed and P&O has cancelled sailings between Larne and Cairnryan.

Pumps back in operation at Foss Barrier in York

The EA says pumps are now working at the Foss Barrier in York. The barrier prevents flood water from the river Ouse backing up the river Foss.

Updated

In Cumbria, police are urging people to get their shopping done before Storm Frank hits.

The Manchester Evening News reports that every household in Rochdale affected by the flooding is to get a £500 payment from the council to help them get back on their feet. Council officers are working to identify the households affected to work out how to get the financial aid to them. The council are also speaking with the government about more substantial, longer-term payments to help residents and businesses.

The floods minister, Rory Stewart, was asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme whether the government would seek EU funding for the floods. This is what he said.

That’s again something we’re open-minded on but to be honest about that it can be seven or eight months to process, it’s not going to be able to help people who are immediately affected. So our real priority at the moment is to get the money to the people who are affected and making sure businesses and householders get the support now.

Updated

York
A woman cleans the inside window of her wine bar as the flood waters rise from the rivers Foss and Ouse. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
York.
Rescue teams evacuate residents in the Huntington Road area of York after the river Foss burst its banks. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Flooding from Foss and Ouse.
Residents use a canoe to paddle to a property through flood waters from the rivers Foss and Ouse. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Front page of Yorkshire Post.

Some telephone lines at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire hospital have stopped working due to damage to the region’s phone systems from flooding in Leeds. Connection problems with the lines, including the hospital’s main number, started on Monday and are still affecting services today.

Updated

More flooding expected in southern and central Scotland and Cumbria

The Met Office says Storm Frank will bring gales or severe gales to western parts of the UK from Tuesday evening into Wednesday. Gusts of 55-65mph are likely, with gusts reaching 70-80mph in exposed areas, particularly in north-west Scotland, and later Shetland.

Rainfall is expected to cause some disruption with persistent, heavy rain over parts of Northern Ireland, west and south-west Scotland, spreading to north-west England and Wales through Wednesday. Rainfall totals of 20-40mm are expected widely across these areas but with 80mm possible over high ground and some exposed areas in south-west Scotland and Cumbria have the potential to receive 100-150mm of rainfall.

Will Lang, the Met Office’s chief meteorologist, said: “We expect stormy conditions to return midweek, and have already issued National Severe Weather Warnings for gales on Tuesday and heavy rain on Wednesday, as a rapidly deepening area of low pressure, Storm Frank, passes to the north-west of the UK.

“Everyone should be aware of the potential for disruption in places from further flooding and the impacts of the gales to transport, especially in areas such as southern and central Scotland and Cumbria where amber ‘be prepared’ warnings are in place.

Updated

A severe flood warning remains for York city centre and areas of Huntington, Tang Hall, Osbaldwick and Foss Islands. The EA says it is testing repairs on the Foss Barrier that were put in place during daylight hours. Levels on the river Ouse have fallen from a peak of 5.2 metres to 4.8 metres during Monday, but levels will remain high and flood water will remain in affected areas throughout this week. Rainfall is forecast on Wednesday, which may have a further impact on this area, says the EA.

Updated

More rain, more flooding says the Met Office.

Martin Kettle addresses the north-south theme cited by several northern politicians and the Yorkshire Evening Post in a powerful editorial on Monday. In his column, he writes:

As the Bible says, it rains on the just and the unjust alike. But you only have to look at the London focus of so much infrastructural renewal, never mind the mere existence of the Thames Barrier, to see why there is a genuine grievance here. London gets the projects it wants , while the people of Kirkstall and Rochdale have to brush the water and the dirt out of their flooded homes.

The most important thing about the Christmas floods of 2015 is, without doubt, the misery of having your house, your street, your village and now even your city under water. But it’s almost as important that it is our country, northern England, where this is happening, though perhaps it just doesn’t feel like that in Chelsea or Shoreditch. This is a test of national solidarity as well as government.

Unless we also see the floods as an episode in the continued loosening and perhaps even the collapse of the UK, we will not see their full danger and potency. It will take more than a visit by Cameron in his wellies to persuade the victims that the government is on their side. It will take more even than government money, projects and activism, even supposing these are on offer. It will take an enduring conviction that the north matters just as much as anywhere else in Britain. And at the moment, that conviction just is not there.

Updated

The floods minister, Rory Stewart, has defended the cuts made in the previous coalition government to flood defences saying that £1.8bn had been spent in the last parliament.

He told Good Morning Britain:

Underlying the central problem I’m afraid is the weather. We have never had rain like this before. We have been dealing with this for nearly three-and-a-half weeks now. We started with more rain than had ever been seen in a day in the United Kingdom. We have had more rain than has ever happened in this month.

Rivers here which haven’t flooded in this way for 75 years are 15 feet up. I’m afraid that is the fundamental problem here. We are spending an enormous amount of money on flood defences. In the end what is beating us is this relentless rain.

On the Today programme, the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, called for cross-party agreement on a long term plan. He said:

We cannot be in a situation where there is stop-start investment,” he said. McDonnell rejected the argument that money for foreign aid should be spent on flood defence at home, saying that aid money is being spent on tackling climate change at source.

Updated

As communities continue to clean up after the Boxing Day floods, gales and downpours are forecast from this evening, with Cumbria and southern and central Scotland most at risk of more disruption from Storm Frank.

The Met Office has issued amber warnings with up to 40mm of persistent rain expected widely across Northern Ireland, west and south-west Scotland, Wales and north-west England – flooded by Storm Desmond – by tomorrow. Twice that – 80mm – is possible over high ground, with some exposed areas in south-west Scotland and Cumbria warned they could be hit by 100-150mm. It said the conditions were “not unusual for this time of year” and comparable with the storms of the winter of 2013-14.

Here is what we know so far this morning:

  • Most of the nine remaining “severe” flood warnings issued by the Environment Agency (EA) for England and Wales – meaning potential loss of life – are centred on York, which was inundated on Boxing Day.
  • The cost of the UK’s winter floods will exceed £5bn and thousands of families and businesses will face financial ruin because they have inadequate or non-existent insurance, a leading accountant warned.
  • The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has called for an independent assessment of spending on flood defences.
  • The government has ordered a major review of flood prevention strategy after the latest incident saw 500 troops deployed to help clean up after thousands were evacuated and many left without power.
  • The EA deputy chief executive, David Rooke, said it would have to look at ways to flood-proof homes as well as traditional defences as the UK was “moving into a period of unknown extremes”.

Updated

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