Shropshire Star

Tale of two Britains as north shivers and south west floods – but respite looms

Monday will be a calmer and warmer day after a weekend of snow and flooding.

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Debris and water cover the road on Corner Lane, Combe Martin, North Devon, after flooding affected parts of the South West.

Britain will get respite from the wintry and wet weather of the last few days, after a weekend which saw freezing temperatures and torrential rain strike different parts of the country.

After parts of Scotland and northern England saw heavy snow, and floods induced by heavy rain forced the evacuation of homes in Devon on Sunday, drier, milder weather will arrive on Monday.

However there will be some more heavy early morning rain in south west England, coming on top of heavy downpours which led to flooding and mudslides in the area.

But that will pass and give way to mostly dry weather, with temperatures several degrees above zero in most areas.

A Met Office spokesman said: “The morning rush hour is looking milder than of late and dry for many, but in the south west it’ll be a wet start and there’ll be some showers in the north.”

Despite the frigid temperatures further north, the mercury rose to 11C (52F) in the far south west of England.

On Sunday people were forced to flee homes in Kentisbury, near Barnstaple, and other properties were flooded in Combe Martin on nearby Exmoor, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

The Environment Agency issued flood warnings for people to take “immediate action” on the rivers Taw and Exe in mid-Devon, and three others in Somerset and Wiltshire.

Further flood warnings were in place on the River Wye in Herefordshire and Riseley Brook in Bedfordshire.

In Somerset, Cheddar Gorge was closed to traffic after rain washed “rocks and debris” into it.

Train services between London, Devon and Bristol, and services in South Wales were affected by flood waters on Sunday night.

A Great Western Railway spokesman said: “Due to heavy rain flooding the railway between Swindon and Chippenham all lines are blocked.

“Train services running through these stations may be delayed by up to 60 minutes or diverted.

“Disruption is expected until the end of the day.”

Saturday night saw the coldest temperature recorded in the UK since February 14 2016, when minus 14.1C (6.6F) was recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire.

On Sunday five people were injured in a two-car crash on the A82 near to Glencoe Mountain Resort as drifting snow caused hazardous conditions in the Highlands.

The snow gates at Glencoe were closed as the weather deteriorated, with winds causing drifting snow and white-out conditions.

A yellow warning for ice is in place until 8am on Monday for north east England and Yorkshire.

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