Britain braces itself for more wintry weather
- 00:01:57
- ITN
Britain braces itself for more wintry weather
A wintry storm is battering much of southern England and Wales and the Environment Agency has issued 83 flood warnings. Some roads in Wiltshire, Somerset and Cornwall are blocked because of rising water and the town of Kingsbridge in Devon is already flooded. Forecasters said some areas had recorded close to their monthly average rainfall for February in just 24 hours. Meanwhile, a band of snow stretching from south Wales into the Midlands left up to 3,000 homes without electricity in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire. The storm also brought strong winds, with gusts of up to 60mph in coastal areas. Emergency services received scores of calls overnight from people affected by floodwater. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said it had dealt with around 60 weather-related calls as homes and gardens flooded in the heavy downpours. Firefighters were called out to assist three motorists stuck in their vehicles in floodwater in Bexhill, Selmeston and Westham near Eastbourne. West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said it had dealt with 100 flooding calls across the county, particularly in the hard hit coastal areas of Selsey and Pagham. A spokeswoman said firefighters were helping residents to pump water from their homes and sandbag their properties. A Sussex Police spokesman said the force had received 96 flooding related calls since 4pm, with reports of flash flooding on the A21 south of Sedlescombe, near Battle. Police closed a number of roads in Wiltshire while others in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall were blocked by heavy flooding. Virgin Trains has cancelled some services between London and Birmingham and Manchester. Bristol International Airport was closed overnight because of severe weather conditions and heavy snowfall. Eight outbound flights and several inbound flights were cancelled or diverted to other airports. A spokesman said the A38 leading to the airport was also closed due to icy conditions. The M4 second Severn Bridge was also shut due to ice. Weatherman Brendan Jones said the centre of the storm was hovering above the English Channel but it had spread heavy rain across much of England and Wales. "The storm is spinning around on the south coast but has thrown rain almost across the whole of England and Wales," he said. "In coastal areas winds are gusting up to 60mph and some inland places have had close to their average monthly rainfall in 24 hours. "London and Kent, Sussex, Hampshire have seen up to 35mm of rain - the average rainfall for February is between 40 and 60mm."
ITN | February 10, 2009
