Third person dies and plane skids off runway as Storm Babet batters UK
A third person has died as Storm Babet swept across the country causing widespread flooding and high winds which also forced a passenger plane to skid off a runway.
A man in his 60s died after getting caught in fast-flowing flood water in the town of Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire on Friday, West Mercia Police said, after two people died in Scotland.
And passengers had to be evacuated from a plane after it came off the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport as it attempted to land in windy conditions.
There were no reports of any injuries, operator Tui said.
An airport spokesperson said: “We can confirm Tui flight TOM3551 arriving from Corfu at LBA this afternoon has moved off the runway whilst landing.
“We are working with the airline, relevant operations teams and emergency authorities to address this situation and remove passengers from the aircraft safely.”
The death in Shropshire is the third so far during the second named storm of the season.
West Mercia Police said: “Members of the public reported that the man had gone under the water shortly before 10.40am this morning.
“Officers from West Mercia Police and Shropshire Fire and Rescue quickly attended but sadly he was found deceased at around 12.35pm.
“Whilst formal identification hasn’t yet taken place the family of a local man in his 60s have been informed and are being supported by officers.”
Police Scotland previously said a falling tree hit a van near Forfar in Angus on Thursday evening, killing the 56-year-old driver.
A 57-year-old woman also died on Thursday after being swept into a river in the region.
Further south, Suffolk declared a major incident on Friday as Storm Badet caused “major flooding” across the county.
In an update on its website, Suffolk County Council urged residents not to travel unless “absolutely necessary”.
On Friday, an amber weather warning for rain is in place for some parts of northern England including Yorkshire and Manchester, as well as some of the Midlands, including Nottingham.
A yellow weather warning for much of the east coast of the UK was also put in place for wind and rain.
A further yellow weather warning is in place across much of northern England and the Midlands for wind and rain.
The “unprecedented” weather event has already caused some residents in eastern Scotland to evacuate their homes and cut off rural communities there.
More than 75 people were in rescue centres in Angus, east Scotland, while Angus Council said people in more than 60 homes in Brechin, who refused previous evacuation attempts, required rescue.
