#newshour4u #BedfordshireFlood #StormBella Storm Bella will bring severe gales and heavy rain on Boxing Day, the Met Office has warned, after people were evacuated from their homes on Christmas Day due to flooding. Its arrival will bring winds of up to 70mph in exposed coastal locations and further downpours. There was flooding around the country on Christmas Day, with 1,300 residents living in parts of Bedfordshire urged to leave their homes. One woman described how she had only an hour to move her father's belongings before floodwater from the River Great Ouse, which had burst its banks, started 'coming through the walls'. An amber wind warning, which warns travel could be disrupted, has been issued for parts of south Wales and across southern England on Saturday. Meanwhile, a yellow warning of wind for the whole of England and Wales as well as the far south of Scotland has also been issued and will be in force from 3pm on Boxing Day. Further rain is expected on Sunday and Monday and the area is one of three under a severe flood warning, meaning a danger to life, along with the Cogenhoe Mill caravan site and Billing Aquadrome Holiday Park, both on the River Nene in Northamptonshire. Bella follows relatively calm and cold conditions across the UK on Friday, which saw early morning snowfall recorded in some areas. Meanwhile, a yellow warning of wind for the whole of England and Wales as well as the far south of Scotland has also been issued and will be in force from 3pm on Boxing Day. In addition to the strong winds, the Met Office said a period of heavy rain will affect western and southern areas on Boxing Day. A yellow warning for rain has been issued for parts of Scotland, Wales and much of north and south west England on Saturday, including areas where there has already been flooding from recent downpours. In Ireland, Met Eireann issued a country-wide status yellow wind and rain warning, in force until 4am on Sunday. As of 5am, England had 78 flood warnings and 99 flood alerts, two flood warnings and five flood alerts are in force in Wales, and seven warnings and 13 alerts have been issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Bedfordshire Police on Friday 'strongly urged' residents living near the River Great Ouse to seek alternative accommodation as high levels of floodwater passed through Kempston and Bedford. Nine people and three dogs had to be rescued from a flood-hit property in Harrold, Bedfordshire. Emergency centres were set up at the Bedfordshire Athletic stadium and Bromham Village Hall. Debbie Radford, whose father lives in the village of Odell, near the river, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday how she had to help him move many of his possessions from the ground floor to a higher level late on Christmas Eve. 'At about 11 O'clock he rang me and said he was in trouble. So I jumped in the car, it was just a couple of miles away and we had literally an hour to move everything off the floor so that we could save washing machines, tumble driers, fridges, carpets, furniture,' she said. 'Literally an hour later, the water started coming in through the walls. Last night it was sitting at 1ft deep throughout the whole ground floor. 'The water has risen 15ft. It is 12ft from the river level to the top of the garden, to the bank. 'The last time it flooded was 22 years ago and from all the records in Odell it has never, ever been this bad. It just came up, the water was coming up through the drains yesterday.' A spokesperson for Bedfordshire Police said on Christmas Day: 'Residents living near the River Great Ouse in north Bedfordshire are strongly urged to leave their homes and seek alternative accommodation due to the risk of flooding. 'People should seek alternative accommodation. This overrides the current Covid-19 regulations.' Superintendent Steve Ashdown, who is leading the response, said officers had visited just over 1,300 homes in the area the previous evening. 'A number of serious flood warnings are now in place across the north of the country where we are expecting flooding, including some for serious flooding which has the potential to endanger life. 'We contacted 1,309 properties along the river last night and suggested they evacuate, and we would strongly reiterate this advice again based on latest information.' He added: 'River levels are extremely high and we are expecting this to have a significant impact across Bedford Borough over the next 24 hours. 'The fact this is happening on Christmas Day makes the situation even worse, especially after the disruption so many of us have had to our plans already, and I really do sympathise with people. 'But this is a really serious situation and we need people to take action in order to keep themselves safe.' ash. Please Connect with us. Web: http://newshour.xyz Facebook: http://newshourfb.tk Twitter: http://newshourtwitter.tk Youtube: http://newshouryoutube.tk

• published: 26 Dec 2020
• views: 1058