Flooding spreads across Britain: Party boat sinks in Thames amid mass evacuations as rivers Trent and Severn burst banks

5 January 2024, 05:34 | Updated: 5 January 2024, 08:31

A party boat sank in the Thames on Thursday evening as heavy rain battered London, the south of England and parts of the Midlands, with a major incident declared in Nottinghamshire amid floods.

The Bar & Co boat, which was moored at Temple Pier, is likely to have sunk "because of weather conditions", a spokesman said.

He added that everyone on board was accounted for.

The Environment Agency has said more than 1,000 homes have been flooded across England this week.

In east London, several people were evacuated from buildings after a canal in Hackney Wick burst its banks. Some 70 firefighters and ten fire engines were at the scene on Thursday night.

And Canada Water Tube station in the south-east of the capital was also affected by the flooding, witnesses reported.

It comes as Storm Henk continued to wreak havoc across much of the southern half of England, with heavy rain causing flooding and travel disruption. Two people have died in the storm.

Parts of Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire, the West Midlands, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, Leicestershire and West Sussex have all seen flooding.

Read More: Hero of Storm Henk: Man risks life to save three-year-old and driver trapped in sinking car

Read More: Storm Henk 'claims first victim' after motorist dies when tree falls on car during 80mph winds which battered Britain

Otterbourne in Hampshire recorded the highest rainfall level on Thursday at 35.2mm, with much of southern England seeing between 20mm to 30mm across much of the southern counties of England.

The ground has been left more saturated by days of heavy rain, making flooding more likely.

The Met Office's yellow weather warning expired at 3am on Friday, but experts expect the impacts of the downpours to last for several days.

Parts of Nottinghamshire have flooded, with emergency services in the county declaring a major incident. The county council said that parts of the River Trent could rise to the highest levels on record.

Several people in Nottinghamshire have already had to be rescued amid high water levels.

A man stranded on the roof of his shed by the high water was evacuated by a fire crew using a dinghy.

Several people living in the Radcliffe Residential static caravan park near Nottingham have also had to be brought to safety.

Laurie Walker, chairman of Radcliffe Park Residents' Association, said: "To come out of the park I've had to walk through somebody else's garden to avoid the flood on the road. It's the worst it's ever been, I've been here seven years. It's a mess."

People living in other flood-risk areas have been warned to prepare to evacuate their homes.

Nottinghamshire County Council said in a statement: "Key tributaries which feed in to the River Trent, including the River Derwent, the River Soar and the River Dove, have already reached their peaks and high water levels will now pass down the Trent, which is likely to lead to the flooding to properties and roads.

"Residents who live in the flood risk areas are being asked to ensure they have preparations in place in case they are asked to evacuate. Councils, emergency services and the Environment Agency have been providing emergency support to communities impacted and will continue to provide support across the county."

Tewkesbury was almost completely cut off as hundreds of homes flooded and outlying villages were left partly underwater.

It was left with just one major route in or out.

Elsewhere, in Shropshire, a pub owner was left in tears after his pub flooded. Mario Thomas called the floodwater that swept into the Boat Inn in Jackfield "evil".

And the wet weather continues to cause chaos for rail passengers.

Great Western Railway and South Western Railway warned passengers that travel disruption would probably continue into Friday morning rush hour amid flooded lines and landslides.

It comes after an unnamed elderly woman driver died after hitting a fallen tree, which had been reported to police about 90 minutes earlier.

The 87-year-old was in a red Smart Forfour when she collided with the tree near Crays Pond, Oxfordshire, at about 5.25pm on Tuesday.

Thames Valley Police has since referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as the fallen tree was one of a number of similar reports received approximately an hour and a half before the collision.

The woman's next of kin are aware and are being supported by specially trained officers. No arrests have been made.

Sergeant Dominic Mahon, of the serious collision investigation unit, said: "Sadly, a woman has died following this collision and our thoughts are with her loved ones.

"We would like to appeal for anyone that witnessed the collision, or saw the car prior to it, to contact us.

"We would also ask any drivers with a dash-camera who were in the area at the time to check their recordings and let us know if it has captured anything that could help our investigation."

An IOPC spokesperson said: "According to the referral, officers had earlier reported that a tree had brought down power lines at the same location.

"We will be assessing the referral to determine whether any further action is required from us."

The first person to die in the bad weather caused by Storm Henk was a motorist whose car was hit by a falling tree in Gloucestershire on Tuesday