Floods and at least two deaths as storm Callum buffets UK
Two people have been killed after storm Callum battered Wales, the western parts of Britain and coastal areas. A Met Office alert warned of danger to life from fast-flowing, deep floodwater and power cuts, and said some communities were threatened with being cut off completely.
Dyfed-Powys police were called to a landslip at Cwmduad between Carmarthen and Cardigan, where a person was confirmed dead at the scene. The fatal landslide happened on the A484 on Saturday.
Carmarthenshire is one of the areas worst hit by storm Callum, as torrential rain has caused rivers to burst their banks and flood towns and villages. The river Towy burst its banks on Saturday. Police also revealed that about 100 sheep had been washed away in the Carmarthenshire village of Pontargothi.
A Carmarthenshire council spokesperson urged people to stay away from flood areas. “Please do not put your safety at risk. In areas worst affected by floods, we advise people not to drive unless absolutely essential in order to help the emergency services.” Carmarthenshire, Powys and Ceredigion are the worst affected areas.
Another man was swept away by rough seas in Brighton, East Sussex, on Saturday. His body was found in water near Brighton Palace Pier and checked by paramedics who pronounced him dead, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.
The strongest gust of wind in the UK on Saturday was recorded at Milford Haven, as gusts of 60mph (97kmh) battered the Pembrokeshire coast. Residents of 29 homes on Canal Side in Aberdulais, near Neath, have been advised to leave their homes because of high river levels.
Emergency services said they had received multiple reports of livestock being carried away or trapped by floodwater. The worst incident occurred at Pontargothi in Carmarthenshire, where almost 100 sheep were washed away.
A Met Office spokesman said Wales was still on a yellow alert for possible flooding last night. A yellow rain alert covering parts of Scotland, the West Midlands and north-west England was also in place. Capel Curig in Conwy was among the wettest places in the UK with 46.2mm (1.6ins) of rain.
“We could see up to 100mm of rain for some places of western Wales, and southern Wales is a main area of concern. We could see up to 200mm or more in some localised areas here that could bring more flooding,” meteorologist Simon Partridge said.
Aneurin Cox, of Natural Resources Wales, said: “We have looked at the records and we are looking at records about 30 years ago when we had an event of this size and significance.”