Storm Dennis set to hit UK: Met Office RAISES threat levels

Flood-hit towns in West Yorkshire are loading up on sandbags as Storm Dennis threatens to batter Britain with even more rain and winds of up to 80 miles an hour tomorrow – just six days after Storm Ciara. 

The UK is suffering further downpours and snow today, before the storm dubbed Dennis the Menace causes havoc for communities and on the road and rail networks throughout Saturday and Sunday.

The 1,200-mile wide storm will bring mayhem for towns in Yorkshire’s Calder Valley, which was inundated with floodwater when Storm Ciara raged on Sunday.

Today in Mytholmroyd, officials were seen desperately trying to prepare for the fourth named storm of the year by using constructing flood defences made of sandbags to prevent further damage. 

Dennis will develop in the North Atlantic before tracking eastwards, and passing into north Scotland on Saturday, with the country set to be blasted by winds over 60mph, and some areas getting more than 100mm of rain.

Severe amber weather warnings have already been issued for many parts of the UK this weekend, including amber warnings for rain in south west England, southern Wales, north west England and south east England.  

Paul Gundersen, Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office said: ‘Another spell of very wet and windy ​weather is expected for Saturday. Although Storm Dennis is currently not expected to be as severe as Ciara, disruption is still likely.’

Today in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, officials were seen desperately trying to prepare for Storm Dennis by using sandbags as flood defences

Workers in the Calder Valley towns of West Yorkshire (pictured today) are already trying to recover from the devastating effects of Storm Ciara, but are using sandbags to prevent further damage to the area with Storm Dennis looming tomorrow

Workers in the Calder Valley towns of West Yorkshire (pictured today) are already trying to recover from the devastating effects of Storm Ciara, but are using sandbags to prevent further damage to the area with Storm Dennis looming tomorrow 

Local authorities are quickly trying to construct flood defences so the Calder Valley towns of Mytholmroyd and Sowerby Bridge don't suffer any further flood damage

Local authorities are quickly trying to construct flood defences so the Calder Valley towns of Mytholmroyd and Sowerby Bridge don’t suffer any further flood damage 

The 1,200-mile wide storm will bring mayhem for towns in Yorkshire's Calder Valley, which was inundated with floodwater on Sunday

The 1,200-mile wide storm will bring mayhem for towns in Yorkshire’s Calder Valley, which was inundated with floodwater on Sunday

Flood-hit towns across the Calder Valley (Mytholmroyd pictured today) are loading up on sandbags as Storm Dennis threatens to batter Britain with even more rain and winds of up to 80 miles an hour tomorrow - just six days after Storm Ciara

Flood-hit towns across the Calder Valley (Mytholmroyd pictured today) are loading up on sandbags as Storm Dennis threatens to batter Britain with even more rain and winds of up to 80 miles an hour tomorrow – just six days after Storm Ciara

Storm Dennis has been named and will bring very strong winds and potential for disruption to many parts of England and Wales on Saturday

Storm Dennis has been named and will bring very strong winds and potential for disruption to many parts of England and Wales on Saturday

Severe amber weather warnings have already been issued for many parts of the UK this weekend, including amber warnings for rain in south west England, southern Wales, north west England and south east England

Severe amber weather warnings have already been issued for many parts of the UK this weekend, including amber warnings for rain in south west England, southern Wales, north west England and south east England

Severe amber weather warnings have already been issued for many parts of the UK this weekend, including amber warnings for rain in south west England, southern Wales, north west England and south east England

Amid Met Office weather warnings, fans of a 125-year-old football club in Selby, Yorkshire, are on tenterhooks over their team’s future.

Tadcaster Albion FC’s grounds were left under five feet of water when six week’s worth of rain fell in North Yorkshire over the weekend amid Storm Ciara.

The clubhouse was almost completely destroyed in the deluge and part of the pitch remains underwater today – nearly an entire week later.

As officials tirelessly work to repair the damage they remain fearful that this weekend’s torrential weather forecast will ruin the ground beyond repair.

Officials say they were not able to get insured after the grounds were badly damaged in 2015 floods, meaning the bill will be handed to club fans and representatives. 

Albion, founded in 1892, are currently placed sixth in the Northern Premier League North West Division, which is the eighth tier of English football.

Tadcaster Albion FC's grounds were left under five feet of water when six week's worth of rain fell in North Yorkshire over the weekend amid Storm Ciara

Tadcaster Albion FC’s grounds were left under five feet of water when six week’s worth of rain fell in North Yorkshire over the weekend amid Storm Ciara

The clubhouse was almost completely destroyed in the deluge and part of the pitch remains underwater today - nearly an entire week later

The clubhouse was almost completely destroyed in the deluge and part of the pitch remains underwater today – nearly an entire week later

As officials tirelessly work to repair the damage they remain fearful that this weekend's torrential weather forecast will ruin the ground beyond repair

As officials tirelessly work to repair the damage they remain fearful that this weekend’s torrential weather forecast will ruin the ground beyond repair

It’s not yet known where the club will play their home games as the clear up operation gets underway.

Also hit by the bad weather was workman Ben Newberry from Leicestershire who was struck by a sheet of plywood and knocked over when it was picked up by gale-force winds. 

He was hit on the neck and knocked flat out by the impact of the wood on Tuesday before being put in a neck brace by an ambulance crew. He was rushed to hospital but eventually given the all-clear.  

Mr Newberry was taking a coffee break while working on a housing estate as wind speeds topped at 80mph – when the drama unfolded. Video shows a sheet of ply, 4ft by 4ft and weighing at least 20lbs (9kg), take off as a gust of wind strikes.    

Speaking today Ben said: ‘They were a bit worried so they took me to hospital because I couldn’t remember anything. But I’m fine now. ‘It hit me on the neck, just knocked me out for a couple of seconds. No damage done. 

‘It was just on a job and there was a floor laying firm there too. Unfortunately the wind got up and picked the ply up, came across and knocked me out.’  

Video shows a sheet of ply, 4ft by 4ft and weighing at least 20lbs (9kg), take off as a gust of wind strikes, hitting Ben Newberry in the head

Video shows a sheet of ply, 4ft by 4ft and weighing at least 20lbs (9kg), take off as a gust of wind strikes, hitting Ben Newberry in the head

His shocked colleagues can then be seen checking on him before the video cuts out

His shocked colleagues can then be seen checking on him before the video cuts out

Storm Dennis will bring wind and rain on Saturday

Storm Dennis is tipped to bring worse rain problems than Storm Ciara

Storm Dennis will bring wind and rain on Saturday. It is tipped to bring worse rain problems than Storm Ciara

Waves crash onto the shore as the sun rises over Langland Bay near Swansea in South Wales

Waves crash onto the shore as the sun rises over Langland Bay near Swansea in South Wales

A man and woman walk along the B797 as a digger clears drifting snow on February 12, 2020 on Wanlockhead, Scotland

A man and woman walk along the B797 as a digger clears drifting snow on February 12, 2020 on Wanlockhead, Scotland

Photo taken from the Twitter feed of @NetworkRailSCOT of rail teams clearing snow at Corrour station near Loch Ossian, on the West Highland Line in Scotland

Photo taken from the Twitter feed of @NetworkRailSCOT of rail teams clearing snow at Corrour station near Loch Ossian, on the West Highland Line in Scotland

A farm in Lincolnshire has finally emerged from being underwater three months after a nearby river flooded following torrential downpours
A farm in Lincolnshire (pictured) has finally emerged from being underwater three months after a river flooded following torrential downpours - and just as another storm hits the UK

A farm in Lincolnshire has finally emerged from being underwater three months after a nearby river flooded following torrential downpours 

Before: Henry Ward's farmhouse and outbuildings were left surrounded by 15ft of water after the Barlings Eau, a river near Lincoln, burst its banks in mid-November
After: But finally three months later the water has been drained off the farm and the roads, fences and fields can be seen again

Before and after: Henry Ward’s farmhouse and outbuildings were left surrounded by 15ft of water after the Barlings Eau, a river near Lincoln, burst its banks in mid-November

Dennis verges on the most powerful North Atlantic storm since records began 196 years ago. 

Farm emerges from water three months after river flooded 

A farm in Lincolnshire has finally emerged from being underwater three months after a nearby river flooded following torrential downpours – and just as another storm hits the UK.

Henry Ward’s farmhouse and outbuildings were left surrounded by 15ft of water after the Barlings Eau, a river near Lincoln, burst its banks in mid-November.

More than 1,000 acres of farmland in Lincolnshire was left underwater, but finally three months later the water has been drained off the farm and the roads, fences and fields can be seen again.

Mr Ward, 28, who had only just taken over the farm in September from his father, Joe, said: ‘About 90 per cent of the farm is clear of water now. There are about 20 acres which still have some water, which can’t find its way back to a ditch or a dyke so we will have to dig some channels there.

‘We are now finding all the damage which has been done by the flooding. The land is saturated with water still and the soil is like soup. We are also finding a lot of dead wildlife, like hares and badgers and fish on the farm.

‘We will have to be patient and won’t be able to do any recultivation of the land until late spring or early summer. We will have lost a year of farming due to the flooding.’

The breach in the riverbank was plugged up in December to try to make sure the farm is safe from further flooding.

The Met Office has warned of 1,200-mile wide Dennis’ five inches’ rain bringing worse rain problems than Ciara, which saw 700 properties flooded. 75mph gusts – lower than Ciara – hit from Friday night and through the weekend.  

There’s warnings that fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, leading to threats to homes and businesses with a good chance communities will be cut off by flooded roads.

Four separate amber warnings are in place on Sunday – two which cover the south of England, one for south Wales and another in the north west of England. Saturday will be the most hazardous day. 

Weather maps predict Dennis will bring massive 50ft waves offshore, 24ft waves on South-West coasts and 20ft on North-West coasts. Storms are more powerful the lower their air pressure, maps show Dennis’ pressure plunging to an estimated 914mb at 3pm on Saturday.

The system will develop in the North Atlantic before moving eastwards over the next few days and then hitting the country on Saturday with strong gusts of over 60mph, and heavy rain on the already saturated ground, so there is a further risk of flooding.  

Four people died during Storm Ciara six days ago – a 58-year-old man, whose car was hit by a tree on the A33 in Hampshire on Sunday, a 50-year-old man who got into difficulties while with a diving party off the west coast of Scotland near Oban, and a 77-year-old man who fell in icy conditions in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire. 

On Tuesday, a dog walker in his sixties was killed after being hit by a falling tree in Black Wood, Liverpool. 

The RAC reported its busiest days for a year, with call-outs up 20 per cent at up to 8,500-a-day this week. ‘There’s no respite with storms and snow – and more motorists will be impacted by Dennis than Ciara, as Dennis hits on Saturday rather than Sunday as Ciara did, when fewer people travel,’ said RAC spokesman Simon Williams. 

Further north, there were snow flurries in Alston, County Durham, and Nenthead, Cumbria, as well as up to two inches on surrounding fells.  

Hundreds of trains face being cancelled or severely delayed at the weekend, after 3,500 – 27 per cent of the UK’s train services – were axed or very late on Sunday during Ciara, Network Rail data showed. 

Dozens more flights face being cut, after over 1,000 were cancelled due to Storm Ciara, FlightRadar24 data showed, with Heathrow alone cancelling 472 flights and Gatwick 333. 

Incredible drone footage captured the devastating effects of Britain's recent bout of bad weather when huge waves smashed a sea wall to pieces and flooded fields in West Sussex

 Incredible drone footage captured the devastating effects of Britain’s recent bout of bad weather when huge waves smashed a sea wall to pieces and flooded fields in West Sussex

A car is stranded in a car park as the waters of the River Ouse passing through York breach the river banks causing flooding as water levels rise on February 11

A car is stranded in a car park as the waters of the River Ouse passing through York breach the river banks causing flooding as water levels rise on February 11

Waves crash over the promenade at Porthcawl, South Wales, as strong gales continued to blow today

Waves crash over the promenade at Porthcawl, South Wales, as strong gales continued to blow today

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