Danger to life flood warning issued as dozens of people rescued by firefighters

A danger to life flood warning is in place as dozens of people have been rescued by firefighters – and more rain, sleet and snow are on the way.

People living at caravan parks near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, have been urged to act now, with a large-scale evacuation required to save lives after heavy rainfall and rapid snowmelt amid the Environment Agency’s severe flood warning for the River Soar.

One man was rescued from a caravan in Proctors Park, Barrow upon Soar, on a raft on Tuesday morning.

And two people had to be rescued from flood water by firefighters in Leicester Road, Leicester, on Monday afternoon, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said as of 6am on Tuesday, 59 people had been rescued – including the two in Leicester Road, who were attempting to walk through flood waters and lost their footing.

A spokesperson for the fire service said firefighters and paramedics attended as the people had to be rescued with a water raft and had sustained some injuries.

In North Yorkshire, police said the body of a man had been recovered on Monday from an area of flooding in Beal, near Eggborough and Knottingley.

Scores of flood warnings remain in place across England as fresh snow flurries hit London and Manchester on Tuesday morning.

Hundreds of schools have been closed across the UK on Tuesday, with Bradford City Council saying 184 are shut in its area, as well as more than a dozen in Lancashire and eight in Northern Ireland.

A critical incident was declared by East Midlands Ambulance for the first time ever on Monday, with flooding partly responsible for the “level of escalation”.

A major incident was declared by authorities in Lincolnshire on Monday night, with a warning that more flooding could occur on Tuesday.

Lincolnshire Resilience Forum said 40 flood warnings and 29 flood alerts were in place across the county, with reports of 62 properties “internally flooded”.

Lincolnshire Resilience Forum said in a statement: “We are keeping a really close watch on this as it develops because we know that there might potentially be more flooding, particularly in areas which may be affected by tidal waters.”

It said emergency services were on standby at Greatford, near Stamford, to monitor the West Glen River, which it said threatened to inundate dozens of properties in the area.

Neil Monteith, 49, owns a caravan on the front row of the Proctors Pleasure Park, near Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire, which was surrounded by floodwater on Tuesday.

He told the PA news agency: “(The water) is the highest I’ve seen it, I’ve never seen it this bad before.”

Mr Monteith added that he no longer lives in the caravan and only keeps furniture inside but said that it is “more than likely” damaged.

A woman who lives near the Proctors Pleasure Park and did not wish to be named said: “They put in new flood defences – it used to flood all the time then it stopped, but this is unprecedented.

“It’s a flood plain, that’s what it’s for but they build houses on it and nobody will acknowledge it or accept it.”

On Monday, around 50 pupils were evacuated from a school in Edenham, Lincolnshire.

All roads leading to Edenham Primary School were flooded, though the school remained safe because it is on higher ground.

On Tuesday, road and rail links have been closed including the A1 in Lincolnshire – which is closed between the B6326 near Newark-on-Trent and the B1174 near Grantham, according to National Highways.

And Great Western Railway said flooding has closed the line between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall.

Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports were forced to suspend flights earlier on Tuesday because of the conditions.

At 11am on Tuesday, 140 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 225 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, were active across England.

National Resources Wales has 10 flood alerts in place.

It comes as the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) called for the Government to take action to prepare fire and rescue services for flood response following widespread flooding.

Unlike the rest of the UK, fire and rescue services in England do not have a statutory duty to respond to flooding, meaning that central Government does not provide secure funding for national flood resilience and response, the FBU said.

The FBU wrote to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in November, calling for “the UK to be made resilient to flooding with a statutory duty and investment”.

The coldest nights of the year are expected this week, with temperatures potentially reaching minus 14C on Wednesday night and minus 16C on Thursday night, both in the north east of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.

Sleet, snow and rain forecast for northern Scotland and Northern Ireland mean yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place from Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday at midday.

Southern England is also braced for snow, with a yellow weather warning in place from 9am until midnight on Wednesday.

The Met Office has warned of a small chance of power cuts and even the potential for rural communities to be cut off.

Passengers and vehicles could also become stranded in the snow, the national weather service has warned.