Communities hit hard by Storm Ciara prepare for Storm Dennis

15 February 2020, 09:31 | Updated: 15 February 2020, 10:48

Deputy leader of the Calderdale Council Jane Scullion has told LBC they have "tripled down" on flood defences ahead of Storm Dennis.

Jane Scullion said residents are doing it tough and the community in West Yorkshire is "still very much battered" from Storm Ciara, which caused flooding in the region.

She has told LBC the area is facing an "emergency" and they have "tripled down" on flood defences, including sand bags, in preparation.

"We are urging people to stay safe this weekend, no heroics," Scullion said.

She said the community needs immediate government assistance to deal with the flooding but also long term assistance to build flood defences faster in preparation for future weather events.

Armed forces have been deployed to Calderdale today to assist with the ongoing recovery from last weekend’s flooding and preparations for Storm Dennis.  

The Met Office has issued several amber rain warnings and a yellow alert has been issued for the whole of the UK.

Forecasters have warned Storm Dennis could cause heavy flooding, partly because Storm Ciara has already saturated the ground.