Storm Dennis: Severe flood warnings as River Wye reaches highest level for 200 years

A woman swept away by Storm Dennis is feared dead, as a river reaches its highest level in 200 years.

After the storm lashed Britain at the weekend, there were six severe flood warnings for England on Monday afternoon – indicating a danger to life – and almost 200 flood warnings.

The woman went missing near Tenbury in Worcestershire on Sunday morning.

Because of the “length of time in the water and other conditions, we believe that this will now be a recovery rather than rescue operation”, Chief Superintendent Tom Harding from West Mercia Police said.

A man who was rescued in the same incident and airlifted to hospital is in a stable condition, West Mercia Police said.

Mr Harding said there was a “high probability” that water levels would continue to rise on Monday evening, with a peak expected south of Worcester in Uckinghall from 9pm and in Upton later in the evening or overnight, with residents advised to leave their homes.

Rivers affected by severe warnings are the Severn, the Wye and the Lugg.

The River Wye in Hereford and surrounding villages has reached “truly exceptional levels”, David Throup from the Environment Agency (EA) told Sky News – adding that they were the highest since records began 200 years ago.

In one area, roads were submerged in 6ft (1.8m) of floodwater, local resident Laura Yarwood said, with churches and leisure centres accommodating evacuated residents.

“I think most of the villages in Hereford have been cut off,” Ms Yarwood said. “It’s the worst anyone in Hereford has ever seen it to be.”

More than 400 properties have been flooded by Storm Dennis, and 18,500 protected. Both figures are likely to rise, John Curtin from the EA said.

The organisation has about 1,000 staff on duty, with 5km of flood barriers deployed and 90 pumps in action.

Transport continued to be disrupted, with more than 90 flights cancelled at Heathrow.

A fire engine and a petrol tanker were both stopped by floodwaters in Worcestershire.

The AA said it had been called to more than 400 vehicles stuck in water or mud over the weekend – more than double the number it was called to during Storm Ciara the week before.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not visited affected areas and has resisted calls to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee – something described by Labour leadership contender Sir Keir Starmer as “an appalling decision”.

Sir Keir said: “The recent flooding is a stark reminder that the government is not doing enough to get to grips with the climate crisis. Ministers should be taking a lead on this situation, not ducking their responsibilities.”

Downing Street said Mr Johnson was receiving regular updates.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said £4bn had been committed to flood defences in the next five years.

People in South Wales have been returning to their flooded homes after a month’s worth of rain fell in 48 hours.

Jeanette Cox and her daughter Rachel were evacuated from their home in Nantgarw, near Cardiff, when they woke to floodwater at 4am on Sunday.

Whole streets in the village were underwater.

Mrs Cox, 68, said the only object not destroyed downstairs was a wedding photograph she had kept on a window ledge.

“My daughter woke me up and said the electric had gone, then she looked down the stairs and saw water,” the charity shop manager said.

“It was terrifying. We went to the back window and Rachel screamed. The neighbour next door shouted back ‘don’t panic’.

“It was pitch black. All you could hear was the water running. I’ve never seen anything like it. I was very frightened.”

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said the Welsh government was not investing in flood defences “at the scale that is necessary”.

Speaking in the village of Trehafod, near Pontypridd, Mr Price said: “Our weather is changing. The fact people can’t even get flooding insurance in some parts of Wales reflects that.

“The fact some people I’ve spoken to today have been flooded for the third time suggests this is becoming an ever more recurrent pattern and as a result of that we absolutely do need to review the level of investment that we’re putting into our flood defence systems because it clearly isn’t adequate to the scale of the challenge we’re facing.”

But Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “There has been major investment in flood defences, and the impact of the events over the weekend would’ve been even worse if it weren’t for the investment that had already been made.

“Of course there is more to do. We have a £350 million investment programme over this assembly term in flood and coastal flooding programmes.”

(c) Sky News 2020: Storm Dennis: Severe flood warnings as River Wye reaches highest level for 200 years