Danger to life and travel disruption expected as flood warnings issued across UK
23 May 2024, 07:10 | Updated: 23 May 2024, 07:18
Forecasters are warning heavy rain could cause a danger to life as 22 flood warnings and multiple warnings for rain have been issued across parts of the UK.
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An amber warning for rain has been in place across parts of North Wales and north-west England, including Manchester and Liverpool, since midday on Wednesday.
A yellow warning for rain covers the north of England, the Midlands and north and central Wales until 6am on Thursday, while another is in place for southern and eastern Scotland until 6pm on Thursday.
The Met Office has warned fast flowing or deep floodwater could cause traffic and travel disruption.
On Wednesday, a man died in a mudslide in North Yorkshire.
On Wednesday, North Yorkshire Police said a person had died following a mudslide in Carlton-in-Cleveland at around 1.15pm.
In a statement, police said: "We can confirm that one person has sadly died as a result of the incident.
"Our thoughts are with their family and friends during this difficult time."
The Met Office said the area had seen almost a month's worth of rain in the past day, with 41.6mm of rain recorded over the last 24 hours in Loftus, a town 20 miles away.
Simon Partridge, a forecaster at the Met Office, said: "The average monthly rainfall for May in North Yorkshire is 57.5mm so they've almost had a month's worth of rainfall today."
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Carlisle in Cumbria experienced the worst of the rainfall, with 65.6mm falling over the previous 24 hours.
Cumbria Police said a number of properties have been affected in the Stockdalewath area, with one property evacuated.
The Environment Agency has issued a severe flood warning for the rivers Roe and Ive from Highbridge to Stockdalewath, south of Carlisle.
The local area covering Robin House, Thistlewood, Highbridge, Ashbridge, Roewath and Stockdalewath is impacted.
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Rail provider Avanti West Coast warned commuters at about 6.30am that services between Preston and Glasgow/Edinburgh are subject to cancellation due to heavy flooding on the railway between Carlisle and Lockerbie.
It said in a post on X: "All routes north of Preston are currently blocked in both directions."
⚠️ Flooding on the network between Preston and Scotland.
— Avanti West Coast (@AvantiWestCoast) May 23, 2024
Services between Preston and Glasgow/Edinburgh are subject to cancellation due to heavy flooding on the railway between Carlisle and Lockerbie.
‼️ All routes north of Preston are currently blocked in both directions.
