Storm Dennis causes travel disruption around the UK
A record number of weather warnings have been issued in England as Storm Dennis continues to batter the UK.
The Met Office has a yellow warning for much of the UK which extends to amber in parts of Southern England.
Most train companies have reported disruption to their services and several incidents have occurred on roads around England.
In the London area, several major airports have also reported disruption.
Gatwick reported that at 10:30am 45 flights had been cancelled out of a planned 397 although: “the worst of the wind appears to have gone.”
A Gatwick spokesperson said: “Due to Storm Dennis we are experiencing high winds today and this is causing some delays and cancellations to flights.
“Passengers are advised to allow plenty of time to get to the airport and to check the status of their flight with their airline.”
London City Airport however is operational with no significant change currently envisaged.
Dramatic images, including one of an Airbus A380 super jumbo landing at a tight angle on approach to Heathrow, have circulated on social media.
On Saturday, the British Army were drafted in to help repair flood defences in West Yorkshire.
The extreme weather follows the impact of Storm Ciara last weekend where the country’s transport network was also seriously disrupted.
The government has been criticised for failing to ensure the area is equipped to cope following several past instances of extreme weather damaging homes and businesses.
Last night environment secretary George Eustice blamed the “nature of climate change” for the destruction wreaked by Storm Dennis, adding that the government will “never be able to protect every single household”, the Telegraph reported.
Two bodies have so far been pulled from rough seas on the south-east coast near Kent. One man was found dead on Saturday after a large-scale search operation following an early-morning distress call off the coast of Margate. A second body was found at Herne Bay later that day.
Experts yesterday warned that “significant” flooding is expected to continue this week, adding that flood-hit areas could still be at risk after Storm Dennis is expected to pass later this week.
The Environment Agency yesterday urged people to “remain vigilant” and to “check the flood risk in their area”.
Aerial footage revealed the scale of the devastation yesterday as several river banks burst across the country. Residents were evacuated from Crickhowell in south Wales after the River Usk overflowed, while shops in Pontypridd town centre were left underwater after the River Taff also burst its banks.
A cargo ship, which had been left abandoned in the mid-Atlantic for more than a year, was swept ashore in Ireland yesterday, where more than 14,000 homes and businesses have been left without power.
Meanwhile, UK Power Networks said it was working tirelessly to remedy further power cuts that spread across the south of England last night.