Britain faces fresh SNOW and ice warning tonight and tomorrow

Storm Ciara has now claimed its third victim after as the country braces itself for ‘Storm Dennis’ which is on a collision course with the UK on Saturday, but not before more snow and ice chaos is expected this week.

Heavy snow fell in some regions after the bad weather disrupted flights, ferries and trains throughout Britain yesterday, while gusts swept across the country felling trees and causing chaos on the roads.

Storm Ciara has moved eastwards from the UK, but it will leave mass white-outs in its wake up and down the country as the Met Office issued fresh snow warnings for today.

The Met Office has issued a warning over the next named storm, Storm Dennis, which a spokesman said is not expected to be as extreme as Storm Ciara but will bring widespread strong winds and heavy rain this weekend.

The effects of Storm Ciara, that hit the UK at the weekend leaving more than 20,000 homes without power overnight, was felt by commuters this morning who encountered further delays.

The powerful storm has also claimed three victims after a falling tree killed a 58-year-old Mercedes driver and a 77-year-old man fell over and banged his head on ice. And today, a dog walker was killed after being hit by a falling tree in Black Wood, Liverpool.

The forecaster has warned that treacherous icy conditions will sweep across the Midlands, parts of the northeast, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

A yellow warning for heavy snow and strong winds is in place for Northern Ireland and most of Scotland, while a yellow warning of snow and ice is in force for north-west England today.

There is also a yellow snow and ice warning covering these regions on Wednesday, as snow showers and icy stretches could cause further disruption. 

A yellow weather warning has been put in place for much of England and Wales on Saturday, with gusts of more than 50mph forecast and heavy rain bringing a further risk of flooding.

A statement said: ‘Storm Dennis is expected to bring a range of impacts, including delays and cancellations to transport services, damage to power supplies and large coastal waves.’

Steve Ramsdale, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, added: ‘Another spell of very wet and windy weather is expected for Saturday, although Storm Dennis is currently not expected to be as severe as Ciara disruption is still likely. 

‘Our confidence in the forecast means we have been able to issue severe weather warnings well in advance, giving people time to prepare for potential impacts of the storm.’ 

Storm Ciara has already claimed two victims after a falling tree killed a 58-year-old Mercedes driver and a 77-year-old man fell over and banged his head on ice. 

Emergency services were scrambled to the scene in Clydebank, West Dumbartonshire at around 11am yesterday after the pensioner fell over in icy conditions but they were unable to save him.

The 58-year-old man died in the storm in Hampshire on Sunday. The victim was driving from Winchester to his home in Micheldever, when the tree came down on top of his Mercedes at around 4pm. 

Wind speeds in the area reached 60mph at the time of the incident and the man was declared dead at the scene.

Businesses clearing up after the second bout of serious flooding in four years have joined MPs in calling for more help for inundated areas.

Hundreds of householders and small business owners across England and Wales were spending Tuesday gutting their premises after water more than 4ft (1.2m) deep in places surged through towns and villages on Sunday.

The clean-up operation was continuing in freezing conditions as rain and wind gave way to hazardous amounts of snow and ice across the UK.

Anger in drenched villages like Mytholmroyd, near Halifax in West Yorkshire, mounted as MPs queued up in the Commons to demanded reassurances that the same fate would not reoccur in coming months and years.

Tory MP Philip Davies branded it ‘completely unacceptable’ that many of his constituents in Shipley, West Yorkshire, flooded during Storm Ciara were also victims of the 2015 Boxing Day floods.

Mr Davies told Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers on Monday: ‘Many of my constituents who were flooded over the weekend are exactly the same people who were flooded on Boxing Day in 2015, which really is completely unacceptable.

‘Can she assure me that the flood defence programme that the Government has in place will ensure that my constituents in Shipley won’t have to suffer this fate yet again?’

Halifax’s Labour MP Holly Lynch said there was a ‘sense of absolute devastation’ that ‘for so many residents we are in the same position again having flooded in 2015’ as she reeled off a list of those affected locally including 400 residential properties, 400 businesses, eight schools and two care homes, as well as two damaged bridges.

The streets of Mytholmroyd were inundated by 4ft (1.2m) of water on Sunday.

Cafe owner Lisa Thwaites described how she found herself thigh-deep in water in just 10 minutes and ended up climbing over the back wall of her property to escape the flood as she desperately tried to save furniture and stock.

Ms Thwaites, who has run the Blue Teapot for six months, said: ‘I’ve got to get the business back up and running. I’ve got no choice.

‘I gave up a good corporate job to do this and it was my dream to open a cafe.

‘Now it’s worth nothing but I’ve no choice but to get it going again.’

Ms Thwaites said: ‘People have been amazing, ringing me up and offering money. I’m not comfortable with that but I might have to take it.’

After the December 2015 floods, a £30 million flood prevention scheme was begun in Mytholmroyd, which is due for completion in the summer.

Ms Thwaites said there was concern that some of Sunday’s inundation came through gaps left in the flood wall due to the construction work.

She also said that water cascaded off the surrounding hillside and became trapped on the village side of the flood barrier, leaving the water on the main road higher than in the River Calder.

The clear-up operation continued as the rain and wind from Storm Ciara gave way to snow and ice across the country.

Heavy snow fell in some regions after the storm disrupted flights, ferries and trains throughout Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

A yellow weather warning for snow was issued for parts of the Midlands and eastern England, and snow began to fall across the north Midlands and the south Pennines on Monday afternoon.

Shocking footage posted online yesterday showed a huge tree landing on two parked cars on a street in west London.

Pictures from yesterday afternoon captured an emergency rescue team who were called out to save passengers trapped inside a BMW and a Subaru after their vehicles were completely submerged by flood water in West Mersea, Essex. 

Fights broke out at Gatwick Airport yesterday and young children were forced to sleep on the floor as airlines axed flights due to the worsening weather.

Passengers at the country’s second largest airport took to social media to complain about lengthy delays, scuffles and children reportedly sleeping on the floor, with holiday firm TUI coming in for criticism. 

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: ‘While Storm Ciara is clearing away, that doesn’t mean we’re entering a quieter period of weather. It’s going to stay very unsettled. 

‘We have got colder air coming through the UK and will be feeling a real drop in temperatures, with an increased risk of snow in northern parts of the UK and likely in Scotland. ‘There could be up to 20cm on Monday and Tuesday and with strong winds, blizzards aren’t out of the question.’ 

The weather chaos also saw lightning strike a house in Helleur Close in Par, Cornwall, yesterday causing damage to two properties.

Firefighters and paramedics rushed to the incident, where residents said they heard ‘an almighty bang’ before electrics were blown in the whole street.

Electric sockets blew up and the internet went down in the whole area.

The emergency services said that no one was seriously hurt, but one resident said there had been a ‘hell of a bang’, Cornwall Live reports.

Following the death of the 58-year-old man from Winchester today, a Hampshire Police spokesman said: ‘We are investigating after a tree fell onto a car on the A33 during the storm on Sunday (February 9) and killed a man.

‘The 58-year-old man, from Micheldever, was driving his Mercedes from Winchester to Micheldever when the tree fell just before 4pm.’

Commuters faced a tough day of travel with train services suffering delays and cancellations as repairs are made to the railway following damage caused by the extreme weather. 

The West Coast Main Line is suspended between Carlisle and Glasgow due to flooding at Caldew Viaduct, Cumbria.

Rail replacement buses had been deployed but passengers are being warned they will be ‘extremely busy’.

A Network Rail spokesman said thousands of its engineers ‘battled horrendous conditions’ throughout Sunday and overnight into Monday in a bid to clear tracks and repair damage.

Speed restrictions exist on several routes, meaning journeys are taking longer than normal and frequencies are reduced.

Among the operators affected are Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, LNER, Northern, ScotRail and South Western Railway. 

Airlines operating to and from UK airports continue to be affected by the weather conditions, with more than 100 flights cancelled.

British Airways and easyJet appeared to be the worst affected, although several other airlines were also hit.

By 11am, some 33 of Heathrow’s Monday departures were cancelled – equivalent to 5% of flights – and a further 82 were delayed by at least 15 minutes.

British Airways said ‘safety is at the heart of everything we do’ and stressed that the airline is ‘carefully assessing every flight’.

It added: ‘We are sorry for the disruption to your travel plans and are doing all we can to get you to your destination as quickly as we can.’

Passengers due to travel on domestic and European flights on Monday were able to re-book to an alternative date.

Another man has died in an accident off Oban in Argyll during Storm Ciara. It is believed the 50-year-old got into difficulties in the Sound of Kerrea on Sunday.

Police said the death was being treated as ‘unexplained’ but there were ‘no suspicious circumstances.’ The man was with a group of divers who were located on the shore at south of Oban. It is believed the death is not weather related.

P&O Ferries said it was forced to cancel several sailings between Dover and Calais due to the knock-on effect of the weekend’s weather.

Another ferry firm, DFDS, said its services on the route were disrupted due to the Channel’s weather conditions.

Several roads around the country remained closed on Monday due to fallen trees and flooding, with a lorry overturning on the Severn Bridge.

An historic Windmill restaurant was also destroyed in the Lincolnshire town of Burgh Le Marsh. Yesterday the sails were seen spinning out of control and the High Street was evacuated by emergency services.

The RAC urged motorists embarking on journeys as Storm Ciara clears to carry out vehicle checks such as their fuel level, lights and tyre tread.   

Passengers at the country’s second largest airport took to social media to complain about lengthy delays, scuffles and children reportedly sleeping on the floor, with holiday firm TUI coming in for criticism.

On Twitter, Joanne Rose, posted a picture holding her son and said: ‘This is after 14 hours being stuck at Gatwick airport with my 4 year old son and my 82 year old mother ! With not one person from your company to help us !!!! Disgusted is an understatement!!! The time is now 23.47.

And Ade Peachey said: ‘Absolutely disgusting service from your front desk at British Airways today. We were left standing for over 3 hours, some fights broke out in the queue which your staff didn’t even bother to get security for. As for your front desk staff, they need to relearn.’  

A spokesman for TUI said:  ‘Due to the adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Ciara some of our flights were delayed departing from London Gatwick on Sunday 9th February, including TOM4744 to Tenerife. 

‘Customers who were not able to depart on Sunday 9th February as planned were provided hotel accommodation, food and drinks, and will be receiving a pro rata refund of their holiday for the inconvenience cause. 

‘Although this situation was beyond our control, we understand delays can be frustrating and would like to thank customers for their patience.’

As of 5am on Monday, UK Power Networks reported more than 18,500 properties across the east and southeast of England were still without power while Western Power Distribution said more than 2,800 homes were in the dark.

Flooding and debris on rail lines caused delays and cancellations over the weekend as many major stations across the UK shut due to overcrowding, with at least 10 firms issuing a ‘do not travel’ warning. 

Meanwhile, hundreds of flights were grounded – with London‘s Heathrow airport the worst affected with more than 400 arrivals and departures axed.

In Essex, homes have been evacuated in Essex after a car fell into a huge sinkhole following wild weather caused by Storm Ciara.

Pictures from the scene showed the Toyota trapped nose-first in the sinkhole on a residential road in Brentwood, with the driver and passenger doors wide open and both airbags inflated.

It is believed that the car was being driven on the road when the sinkhole opened up, although the driver is said to have escaped uninjured.

Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office Frank Saunders said: ‘In the wake of Storm Ciara, it’ll remain unsettled and very windy across the UK and it’ll turn colder with wintry showers and ice an additional hazard, as we head into the new week. 

‘A wind and snow warning is in force for parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland on Monday as well as a further yellow wind warning in the south west of England.’

Airports around the country on Sunday night told travellers to check their flight with their airline due to the continuing bad weather conditions.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: ‘While Storm Ciara is clearing away, that doesn’t mean we’re entering a quieter period of weather. It’s going to stay very unsettled.

‘We have got colder air coming through the UK and will be feeling a real drop in temperatures, with an increased risk of snow in northern parts of the UK and likely in Scotland.

‘There could be up to 20cm on Monday and Tuesday and with strong winds, blizzards aren’t out of the question. 

Yesterday parts of the West Yorkshire communities of Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge have been inundated again – four years after record flooding devastated the area.

River levels peaked on Sunday just below the record levels of the 2015 Boxing Day floods, which caused millions of pounds of damage to houses and businesses right along the Calder Valley.

More than £30 million has been spent on flood defences in Mytholmroyd since the 2015 deluge, with part of the scheme completed in 2019 and the remainder due to be finished this summer.

Early reports from the village were that some of the new defences held but many homes were still flooded.

At the height of the flooding in the village on Sunday, the floods wardens said on their Facebook page: ‘Please stay at home unless absolutely necessary. There are no passable roads through The Valley.

‘There are no shops open for you to buy things from. And if you think you have a vehicle that is capable of driving through flood water still don’t do it.’

On Monday the wardens said: ‘It’s the morning after and possibly the first time people will get a chance to really take stock of the devastation.’

Flooding affected large sections of the River Calder and River Aire in West Yorkshire.

Further downstream, the main bridge at Elland has been closed for structural assessments after a large shipping container hit it and lodged underneath.

Martin Slater from the Environment Agency told BBC Radio Leeds: ‘As the rain that fell yesterday moves down the River Aire catchment and the River Calder it will be going through Leeds overnight and today.

‘So we do ask people to remain vigilant and stay away from rivers.’ 

There were 214 flood warnings in place demanding immediate action, with 177 alerts also suggesting that flooding was possible elsewhere.

Drivers faced treacherous conditions with floodwater, fallen trees and other debris closing roads. The M11 was shut in both directions in Cambridgeshire after an airport hangar in Duxford airfield, the location of the largest aviation museum in the UK, was damaged by high winds.

The major motorway caused chaos near Stansted Airport, with traffic queuing for more than a mile after Highways England said the hangar was ‘likely’ to blow onto road.  

Heathrow cancelled 472 flights, with Gatwick axing 333. Elsewhere across the country, Birmingham airport grounded 101, Edinburgh 85 and in Manchester 74 flights were called off.

Planes were being diverted as far as Germany after being unable to land at UK airports due to dangerous weather conditions. A flight from from New York to Gatwick was also diverted to Copenhagen.  

Train providers axed services across swathes of the country, announcing that there would be no journeys at all in certain regions. 

Network rail also imposed a blanket speed restriction of 50mph across the network, warning passengers to only travel if ‘absolutely necessary’. 

British Airways has axed flights from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City, while Virgin Atlantic have announced a number of scrapped flights.

A plane arriving at Birmingham airport was captured swaying in high winds as the pilot attempted to land amid severe winds conditions. 

Elsewhere, high winds forced a British Airways flight at Heathrow to abort its landing just seconds after touching down on the runway.

Footage posted on social media shows  the plane juddering onto the tarmac before the pilot takes off again. It safely landed after circling the airport.

A BA flight was also forced to make an emergency landing in Lyon after after fuel ‘ran close to reserves’.

More than 200 flood warnings were issued across England on Sunday, with the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, in Cumbria, severely hit.

The River Irwell burst its banks at Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, while areas including Blackpool, Whalley, Longton and Rossendale, were affected by flooding in Lancashire.

Dam fine mess! Flood-hit Yorkshire residents slam £30m defences that make ‘NO DIFFERENCE’ as they face thousands in clean-up bills five years after last deluge – while River Ouse bursts for second time in five months

Flood-hit Yorkshire residents have slammed the £30million defences that make ‘no difference’ as they face thousands in clean-up bills just five years after the last deluge.

Towns in the Pennines and Yorkshire Dales that have endured years of relentless flooding were under water again this week after almost three inches of rain fell in the region on Sunday.

Councils have spent millions on anti-flooding infrastructure after the 2015 Boxing Day flooding left thousands of properties ruined. But the River Ouse last burst its banks just five months ago, and now residents and businesses are hitting out at authorities for failing to protect them from the impact of Storm Ciara.

There are still 56 flood warnings in place across Britain today, with 30 of those in the Yorkshire region.

Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers is expected to visit the region later today, and talk to those affected by yet another round of relentless flooding.

The West Yorkshire towns of Todmorden, Mytholmroyd, Hebden and Sowerby Bridge have been among the worst hit, with the streets transformed into canals, cars submerged and shops floors and front rooms covered in muddy water. 

More than £30 million has been spent on flood defences in Mytholmroyd since the 2015 disaster, with part of the scheme completed in 2019 and the remainder due to be finished this summer. 

Anger in drenched villages like Mytholmroyd, near Halifax in West Yorkshire, mounted as MPs queued up in the Commons to demanded reassurances that the same fate would not reoccur in coming months and years.

Tory MP Philip Davies branded it ‘completely unacceptable’ that many of his constituents in Shipley, West Yorkshire, flooded during Storm Ciara were also victims of the 2015 Boxing Day floods.

Mr Davies told Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers on Monday: ‘Many of my constituents who were flooded over the weekend are exactly the same people who were flooded on Boxing Day in 2015, which really is completely unacceptable.

‘Can she assure me that the flood defence programme that the Government has in place will ensure that my constituents in Shipley won’t have to suffer this fate yet again?’

Halifax’s Labour MP Holly Lynch said there was a ‘sense of absolute devastation’ that ‘for so many residents we are in the same position again having flooded in 2015’ as she reeled off a list of those affected locally including 400 residential properties, 400 businesses, eight schools and two care homes, as well as two damaged bridges.

The streets of Mytholmroyd were inundated by 4ft (1.2m) of water on Sunday.

Cafe owner Lisa Thwaites described how she found herself thigh-deep in water in just 10 minutes and ended up climbing over the back wall of her property to escape the flood as she desperately tried to save furniture and stock.

Ms Thwaites, who has run the Blue Teapot for six months, said: ‘I’ve got to get the business back up and running. I’ve got no choice.

‘I gave up a good corporate job to do this and it was my dream to open a cafe.

‘Now it’s worth nothing but I’ve no choice but to get it going again.’

Ms Thwaites said: ‘People have been amazing, ringing me up and offering money. I’m not comfortable with that but I might have to take it.’

After the December 2015 floods, a £30 million flood prevention scheme was begun in Mytholmroyd, which is due for completion in the summer.

Ms Thwaites said there was concern that some of Sunday’s inundation came through gaps left in the flood wall due to the construction work.

She also said that water cascaded off the surrounding hillside and became trapped on the village side of the flood barrier, leaving the water on the main road higher than in the River Calder.

At the height of the flooding in the village on Sunday, the floods wardens said on their Facebook page: ‘Please stay at home unless absolutely necessary. There are no passable roads through The Valley.

‘There are no shops open for you to buy things from. And if you think you have a vehicle that is capable of driving through flood water still don’t do it.’

On Monday the wardens said: ‘It’s the morning after and possibly the first time people will get a chance to really take stock of the devastation.’ 

Martin Slater from the Environment Agency told BBC Radio Leeds: ‘As the rain that fell yesterday moves down the River Aire catchment and the River Calder it will be going through Leeds overnight and today.

‘So we do ask people to remain vigilant and stay away from rivers.’

Mr Slater said: ‘The catchments are really saturated and there’s not places for any future rain to go, so we do ask people to be really careful.

‘Some of our measuring devices recorded around about 100mm rain in a 12 to 18-hour period, so that’s a lot of rain falling in a very short period of time.

‘Enormous quantities have fallen in a short period of time so that turns those small becks into raging torrents in places.’

Before the storm hit, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority last week vowed to spend another £1.7million on flood defences. 

Across the Yorkshire Dales last year, natural flood defences were implemented to protect farms from the effects of heavy rain. 

Natural flooding management techniques have been rolled out in Bishopdale, Wensleydale, including leaky dams, earth bunds and tree planting. They were all designed to stem the flow of the River Ure.    

Flooding affected large sections of the River Calder and River Aire in West Yorkshire. Further downstream, the main bridge at Elland has been closed for structural assessments after a large shipping container hit it and lodged underneath.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services revealed they were called to 170 flooding-related incidents in 12 hours between 8am and 8pm on Sunday.  There were 765 emergency 999 calls and 50 rescues carried out.  

Train services have been suspended on the Transpennine Express between York and Scarborough due to a fallen tree on the line. 

Northern trains between Ilkley, Skipton and Bradford Forster Square will not run all day due to flooding at Kirkstall Forge.

Routes between Carlisle, Lancaster and Leeds have also been suspended due to flooding at Hellifield. Replacement buses are running between Skipton and Carlisle, but are likely to be delayed due to rainwater on the roads. 

There are also road closures throughout the region, including Clover Bridge in North Yorkshire, Greys Bridge in Denaby Main, Main Street in Wensley, Yorkshire Dales, the A684 in Hawes, the A646 in Mytholmroyd through to Halifax Road, A167 in Tees View and Bessingby Hill in both directions.

The M606 is also shut in Bradford between junctions two and three as a result of flooding.   

On Sunday river levels across the region peaked just below the record levels of the 2015 Boxing Day floods.