Storm Babet in pictures as town evacuated and roads collapse during red warning downpours

Alexander Butler
·3 min read

Storm Babet is wreaking havoc in the north of the UK, with hundreds of homes flooded or evacuated and another day of torrential rain to come.

Red, amber and yellow weather warnings are in place for large parts of the country with heavy downpours set to move south on Friday and into the weekend.

The Irish army was deployed in parts of Cork, Ireland, while the extreme weather caused flooding in some areas of eastern Scotland and led the evacuation of hundreds of homes.

Members of a rescue team wade through the flood waters in Brechin after hundreds of homes were evacuated (Getty Images)
Members of a rescue team wade through the flood waters in Brechin after hundreds of homes were evacuated (Getty Images)
A man walks through sea foam in Seaburn, Sunderland, as Storm Babet batters the country (PA)
A man walks through sea foam in Seaburn, Sunderland, as Storm Babet batters the country (PA)

Around 10,000 homes in Scotland have lost power due to the storm and Angus Council is evacuating more than 400 homes in the red weather warning area.

Emergency workers were seen wading through floodwater in Brechin, Scotland, as waves crashed against the shore and sank a boat further up the coast in Stonehaven.

Have you been affected by Storm Babet? Email alexander.butler@independent.co.uk

The council said: “We have identified approximately 335 homes in Brechin, and an additional 87 homes in Tannadice and Finavon where residents will be asked to evacuate for their own safety.”

Those affected are advised to attend three rest centres that have been set up in the area.

A boat sinks inside the harbour in Stonehaven on the east coast of Scotland (AFP via Getty Images)
A boat sinks inside the harbour in Stonehaven on the east coast of Scotland (AFP via Getty Images)
A person looks from a window at a submerged car in flood water in Brechin, Scotland, (PA)
A person looks from a window at a submerged car in flood water in Brechin, Scotland, (PA)
Floodwater in Cork, Ireland, where army and civil defence units have been deployed to help support evacuation measures (PA)
Floodwater in Cork, Ireland, where army and civil defence units have been deployed to help support evacuation measures (PA)

The British Geological Survey has warned Storm Babet could cause landslides in Scotland while the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has said they are expecting “extensive river and surface water flooding”

In one video taken in Cork, a red car can be seen tipped on its side as it has fallen into part of a collapsed road, with water rushing through underneath into a field.

People walk past damaged shops on Main street in Midleton, Co Cork (PA)
People walk past damaged shops on Main street in Midleton, Co Cork (PA)
Heavy rains are forecast into the weekend in the second storm of the season (PA)
Heavy rains are forecast into the weekend in the second storm of the season (PA)

Trains, planes and ferries have all also been affected by the storm. ScotRail has cancelled six services across Scotland until Saturday.

Ferry links between Aberdeen, Orkney and Shetland have been cancelled, as well as Pentland Firth crossings from Scrabster to Stromness.

Two residents wade through floodwater in Cork as Storm Babet swept northwards across the country (PA)
Two residents wade through floodwater in Cork as Storm Babet swept northwards across the country (PA)
Sand bags sit piled against a wall in Aberfoyle, Scotland, as residents prepare for the storm (PA)
Sand bags sit piled against a wall in Aberfoyle, Scotland, as residents prepare for the storm (PA)

Caledonian MacBrayne has suspended or diverted a number of Western Isles services because of forecast “strong winds and sea swell”.

The Ullapool-Stornoway crossing, the main link to Lewis and Harris, is cancelled all day. The crossing from Lochboisdale in South Uist to Mallaig is diverted to Oban.

A man lifts his dog over a flood defence barrier erected in Edzell, Scotland (PA)
A man lifts his dog over a flood defence barrier erected in Edzell, Scotland (PA)
Emergency services called out to the scene County Cork (PA)
Emergency services called out to the scene County Cork (PA)

Flights are already being affected, with Wideroe cancelling its round-trip from Stavanger to Aberdeen.

The chief meteorologist for the Met Office, Jason Kelly, said: “100–150mm of rain is expected to fall quite widely within the warning period, with some locations likely to see 200–250mm, which is expected to cause considerable impacts with flooding likely.

“Storm Babet will track gradually northwards in the coming days, and although the most significant impacts are expected within the red and amber warning areas, there will still be wider impacts for much of the UK from this wind and rain.”