Two die at sea in Kent as Storm Dennis bears down on UK
Written by News on 15/02/2020
Two people have died in the seas off the coast of Kent, as Storm Dennis bears down on the UK, Sky News understands.
It is thought a teenager was out in Herne Bay earlier today and died after getting into difficulty in the sea.
Separately, a body was recovered off the coast of Margate, after an early morning distress call, the coastguard has said.
A coastguard spokesman said: “At around 1pm, after many hours of searching, a body was sadly found in the water by the RNLI Margate lifeboat and has been brought to shore.”
The distress call was thought to have come from a Maltese tanker anchored off the Margate coast at 5.41am.
Large parts of the UK are bracing for disruption as the “perfect storm” approaches, bringing gusts of up to 70mph (113kmph).
The storm could bring a month’s rainfall in one day and some parts of the country could see up to 12cm (4.7in).
Amber weather warnings remain in place across southern Scotland, northern England, Wales and parts of the South West, saying that flooding could cause a danger to life.
Storm Dennis has already begun to cause disruption across the UK with the conditions leading to scores of events and fixtures across the country being cancelled, and dozens of flights grounded.
In West Yorkshire, the army has been deployed to help with the efforts, with the Ministry of Defence has saying that 75 personnel based in Catterick and 70 reservists from Yorkshire are constructing around 700m of barriers, helping to repair defences and lay down sandbags.
Calderdale Council leader Tim Swift said: “The presence of army officers in Calderdale will be a reassuring sight for the many residents and businesses who are still recovering from Storm Ciara and preparing for Storm Dennis.
“Council staff, partners, volunteers and community groups have worked tirelessly all week and will continue to work around the clock for as long as necessary to help keep people safe and to manage the flood risk.”
In the skies, more than 230 easyJet flights in and out of the UK have been cancelled due to the weather on Saturday.
British Airways has said most of its flights are scheduled to go ahead as planned, but it is expecting disruption due to strong winds.
The Met Office says Storm Dennis poses a greater risk of widespread flooding than Storm Ciara the weekend before.
The Environment Agency (EA) said this is due to rain falling on already saturated ground.
Power cuts are also expected and there is a good chance train and buses will see cancellations or delays and roads closed.
More follows…
(c) Sky News 2020: Two die at sea in Kent as Storm Dennis bears down on UK
