The risk of flooding in England and Wales remains medium as at the peak of Storm Babet, reports of floods to the Environment Agency reached the highest level since 2015/16, a minister has said after the death toll from the storm rose to at least seven people.
The Environment Agency (EA) issued more than 300 flood warnings and received more than 1,800 calls to its flood line, environment minister Rebecca Pow told the Commons.
The number of people who have died in the wake of the storm rose to at least seven on Monday afternoon and hundreds of people have been left homeless, with about 1,250 properties in England flooded, the Environment Agency (EA) said.
The death toll rose as police recovered the body of a man after carrying out searches following reports that a person was trapped in a vehicle in floodwater near Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, on Friday.
Police Scotland said that formal identification is still to take place, however next of kin have been informed.
Ms Pow said investigations are expected into the flooding.
She said: “We know of some areas where the assets were overwhelmed, not having been designed for such rare, extreme levels of rainfall and we will of course be reviewing our response once the risk of flooding has passed and this will consider flood warning triggers and local mobilisation of assets.”
She also said local flood authorities in Horncastle will be investigating incidents and that other authorities are considering the same course of action elsewhere.
The minister estimated approximately 42,000 homes in England have been protected by flood defences.
Ms Pow added that “significant” river flooding impacts remain “probable” in parts of South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and also more widely, as she confirmed further rainfall is expected later this week but “not on the same scale” and which is “not expected to lead to further significant flooding”.
A fresh weather warning for rain was issued earlier on Monday covering a vast swathe of England already hit by flooding.
The Met Office issued the yellow warning for “heavy rain”, which could lead to further flooding in the East Midlands, including Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, as well as much of Yorkshire, including Sheffield, Leeds and York, and Humberside.
A total of 13 areas broke their daily rainfall records for October last week, including sites in Suffolk, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Wiltshire, Kincardineshire, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Northumberland, Derbyshire and Humberside, the Met Office said.
The Met Office warning, which is in place for between 3am and 4pm on Tuesday, stated: “There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings.
“There is a small chance of fast-flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.
“There is a small chance that some communities will become cut off by flooded roads.”
