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Storm Bert: environment secretary says flood defences in ‘worst condition on record’ after Tory government – as it happened

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Steve Reed has criticised previous administration and promised £2.4bn to improve facilities

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Mon 25 Nov 2024 10.01 ESTFirst published on Mon 25 Nov 2024 02.37 EST
A view of flooding at Cross Keys Rugby Club in Newport, Wales, following heavy flooding caused by Storm Bert
A view of flooding at Cross Keys Rugby Club in Newport, Wales, following heavy flooding caused by Storm Bert Photograph: Huw Fairclough/Getty Images
A view of flooding at Cross Keys Rugby Club in Newport, Wales, following heavy flooding caused by Storm Bert Photograph: Huw Fairclough/Getty Images

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Environment secretary: UK’s flood defences in 'worst condition on record' after Tory government

The environment secretary has said the UK’s flood defences are in the “worst condition on record” and promised the new Labour government has committed £2.4bn to upgrade them.

PA Media quotes Steve Reed saying:

This government inherited from the previous government flood defences that are in the worst condition on record.

Now we’ve allocated in the budget £2.4bn to upgrade our flood defences, better maintain those we already have, build new flood defences to keep people safe.

That will make a difference and that’s what we need to do to cope much better with the impact of climate change that we’re seeing with these floods.

Earlier Green party of England and Wales co-leader Adrian Ramsay also linked the storm to climate change, issuing a challenge to politicians who oppose the UK’s moves towards net zero. He posted to social media to say:

MPs like Kemi Badenoch who want to stop the drive for net zero need to explain to those whose homes have been flooded during Storm Bert why they think climate action is a luxury. These storms are increasingly driven by climate breakdown. We need to act faster, not drag our feet.

Key events

Summary of the day …

  • Weather forecasters and politicians have come in for strong criticism after hundreds of homes and businesses across the UK suffered devastating flooding in Storm Bert but the Met Office has said it issued sufficient warning

  • There were growing complaints in south Wales, one of the areas most heavily hit, that the Met Office issued only a yellow warning, rather than an amber or red, and that not enough new defences had been put in place by the Welsh government since storms last wreaked havoc in the area four years ago

  • The environment secretary has said the UK’s flood defences are in the “worst condition on record” and promised the new Labour government has committed £2.4bn to upgrade them

  • Green party of England and Wales co-leader Adrian Ramsay linked the storm to climate change, saying “[politicians] who want to stop the drive for net zero need to explain to those whose homes have been flooded during Storm Bert why they think climate action is a luxury

  • There is still one severe flood warning, 125 flood warnings and 151 flood alerts in place in England. There are six flood warnings and 18 flood alerts in effect in Wales, and two flood alerts and three flood warnings in place in Scotland.

These are some of the scenes at Billing Aquadrome in Northamptonshire, where residents are being evacuated and a severe flood warning remains in place.

Flooded caravans at Billing Aquadrome Holiday Park near Northampton, Northamptonshire. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA

PA Media spoke to residents, who said it was the fourth time they had been forced to leave this year.

Stan Brown, 67, said he had lived there for 25 years, but “Enough is enough”.

Swans swim by a restaurant in a flooded area near Billing Aquadrome. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said the mood on Monday morning was “low”, and that many of her neighbours hope to move away soon.

Green party of England and Wales MP Ellie Chowns has urged residents in Herefordshire to “please take care, and stay safe,” and directed them to the local council website for information.

The MP for North Herefordshire posted to social media to say she was “very concerned by the flooding caused by Storm Bert.”

Prime minister Keir Starmer has spoken to the first minister of Wales to offer addition support if it is needed, according to environment secretary Steve Reed.

PA Media quotes him saying:

The government has set up a Floods Resilience Taskforce and that is to make sure that the agencies on the ground in areas that are affected by flooding, as we’ve seen this weekend, are able to offer whatever support they can to those people. It’s important that that is done.

The prime minister has spoken to the first minister of Wales and has offered additional support if they need it in Wales.

So far, they haven’t said that they need that. But we stand ready to offer whatever further support we can to those parts of Wales that have been the very hardest hit by the floods.

He said that “as a result of the previous government, we have flood defences that are in their worst condition on record,” adding “because of climate change, we’re getting severe weather events much more frequently. That can mean droughts in the summer, but it means floods and storms in the winter.”

WalesOnline has been reporting from Cwmtillery, where Storm Bert triggered a landslide.

It spoke to resident Rob Scholes, who said:

Very quickly it turned into mud and stuff and nasty bits all over the place and at that point we decided it was not a good idea to open the front door. So we didn’t.

It was horrible. It really was horrible. Very quickly. More than anything else it was the speed at which it all happened. So much rain so quickly that it just overwhelmed us.

A view shows a mud-covered road and a cordoned-off area next to houses at the site of a mudslide, in the aftermath of Storm Bert, in Cwmtillery. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

Cwmtillery is just to the south of the Bannau Brycheiniog national park (formerly known as the Brecon Beacons), to the east of Merthyr Tydfil.

Parts of Tenbury Wells town centre in Worcestershire were flooded by the Kyre Brook on Sunday after a wall collapsed, scattering debris across the road.

The flooding was reportedly exacerbated when a tractor was driven through the flooded high street, causing a bow wave which broke windows and forced doors open.

Louise Preston, 20, who owns a shop in the town, told PA:

Our business, personally, has not suffered anywhere near as badly as it could have done. What has been really heart-warming to see is the community spirit.

We’ve had police support officers down, the firemen were marvellous yesterday, Tesco has been giving people free cleaning materials, the cafes - who themselves have suffered - have been donating free tea and coffee to everybody.

Louise Preston, owner of Pitter Potter, who claims the bow wave created by a passing tractor caused windows to smash in her’s and other businesses in the town, letting flood water in. Photograph: Andrew Fox/The Guardian

Harriet Baldwin, the Conservative MP for West Worcestershire, has described the flooding hitting the town as “absolutely devastating.”

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Environment secretary: UK’s flood defences in 'worst condition on record' after Tory government

The environment secretary has said the UK’s flood defences are in the “worst condition on record” and promised the new Labour government has committed £2.4bn to upgrade them.

PA Media quotes Steve Reed saying:

This government inherited from the previous government flood defences that are in the worst condition on record.

Now we’ve allocated in the budget £2.4bn to upgrade our flood defences, better maintain those we already have, build new flood defences to keep people safe.

That will make a difference and that’s what we need to do to cope much better with the impact of climate change that we’re seeing with these floods.

Earlier Green party of England and Wales co-leader Adrian Ramsay also linked the storm to climate change, issuing a challenge to politicians who oppose the UK’s moves towards net zero. He posted to social media to say:

MPs like Kemi Badenoch who want to stop the drive for net zero need to explain to those whose homes have been flooded during Storm Bert why they think climate action is a luxury. These storms are increasingly driven by climate breakdown. We need to act faster, not drag our feet.

Chippenham town centre has been inundated with water, and the BBC has spoken to Becky Lyons who runs a pet shop there, which is under water.

She said “It’s reached my storage area, so all the stock ready for Christmas, it’s a bit disheartening to say the least. I feel a bit empty and numb. I’ve put everything into this shop. Customers and people in the high street said they will come and help us clear out when we can get in. We have such a great community spirit.”

Here are some of the latest images from Northamptonshire, where there is still a severe flood warning in place for the River Nene at Billing Aquadrome and nearby business parks.

A man stands on a foot bridge and looks at rising river levels in the River Nene. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
Floodwater covers parts of the Billing Aquadrome in Northamptonshire. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA
An ambulance drives through floodwater near the Billing Aquadrome in Northamptonshire. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA

The BBC reports that 57 children were rescued from a school bus that got stranded in floodwaters near Eckington Bridge over the River Avon.

It says the Hereford and Worcester fire and rescue service used two boats to effect the rescue, and nobody was reported injured. The students were believed to be from Prince Henry’s High School, which is in Evesham, Worcestershire.

Our video team has put together this report featuring footage of the aftermath of Storm Bert in the UK and Ireland.

Storm Bert batters parts of the UK – video report
Rachel Obordo
Rachel Obordo

People across England and Wales have been experiencing severe travel disruption due to flooding.

Linda from Manchester who had been visiting York with family - one of whom is partially disabled, described the travel chaos caused by the weather at Leeds station on Sunday night, following their 9pm train being cancelled.

“A little panic set in but we managed to get to Leeds by 10.30pm and found it chaotic. The last train back was moved to two different platforms which had us running up and down stairs and lifts only for it to then be delayed and finally cancelled.

“By 11pm platform 11D in Leeds was heaving. Staff said they’d organise transport and herded us to the concourse – there was lots of confusion. Outside, a steady flow of taxis wound their way through cordoned off sections of highway with no-one knowing which was for whom. We eventually got one, getting home at 1.20am.”

Crowds at Leeds station on Sunday night. Taken at 10.59pm. Photograph: Linda/Guardian Community

Lucy, 19, who is a PPE student at the University of Oxford is stuck in Bristol after visiting a friend on the weekend. Her and two friends Fred and Livia tried to get a train back to Oxford at 6pm but it was cancelled. They then booked an Uber but only managed to get to the outskirts of Bristol before turning back due to flooded roads.

“Luckily we could stay overnight with our friend Anna but it meant there were four of us in one room. I ended up on the floor – thankfully I had a sleeping bag. Two of us have compulsory tutorials today that we will have to miss. Some tutors can be understanding and others believe you shouldn’t leave uni during term time. Thankfully the tutor of the tutorial I’ll be missing is quite understanding. We’re getting an Uber now as it looks like the roads are OK but it’s going to cost about £100.”

Lucy and her friend Livia staying in Bristol due to flooding. Photograph: Lucy/Guardian Community

If you’ve been affected by flooding from Storm Bert, you can share your experience here.

In Wales there are seven flood warnings still in place, with 20 flood alerts. The River Monnow, River Towy, River Wye and River Dee are all affected. The flood warnings can be checked here.

A map from Natural Resources Wales of flood warnings in the country Illustration: Natural Resources Wales

More on this story

More on this story

  • Welsh residents displaced by sinkhole fear they may not return by Christmas

  • More than 500 properties in England and Wales were hit by Storm Bert floods

  • Wednesday briefing: Why was the UK so poorly prepared for extreme flooding?

  • Storm Bert offers stark reminder of UK’s underfunded flood defences

  • Forecasters and flood defences under scrutiny after UK’s Storm Bert ordeal

  • ‘No lessons have been learned’: as floods recede, anger rises in south Wales valleys

  • Storm Bert: drone footage shows extent of flooding at English holiday park – video

  • Storm Bert brings significant flooding to UK – video

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