Rescue crews rush to save people from severe flooding as Storm Babet hits

Emergency crews are trying to rescue people in the town hardest hit by the unprecedented flooding caused by Storm Barbet.

As England, Wales and Northern Ireland faced warnings about heavy rain, Scotland continued to bear the brunt with flood defences in the town of Brechin being breached early on Friday.

Angus Council, which serves the town near the eastern Scottish coast, said parts of Brechin are only accessible by boat and added: “Angus is in the middle of a very serious emergency. Flooding is unprecedented. Levels are over half a metre over the last highest ever.”

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “I cannot stress how dangerous conditions are in Brechin in particular.”

And Brechin councillor Jill Scott said: “It’s horrific. It’s just absolutely horrendous. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

She said people had been trapped for hours, warning: “There will be hundreds of houses flooded.”

Another Brechin councillor, Gavin Nicol, warned some people may not be able to get back in their homes by Christmas, adding: “It’s just a disaster. The water is not going down, it is still rising.”

Angus Council said rescue crews are dealing with around 100 calls in areas of Brechin which had been asked to evacuate.

Fire crews and the Coastguard began evacuating residents on Thursday night – knocking on residents’ doors advising them to leave.

On Thursday afternoon, a woman died after being swept into a river in Angus amid the evacuation of 400 homes in the Scottish region.

Police Scotland said the body of the 57-year-old woman was recovered from Water of Lee at Glen Esk, where a rare red weather alert is in place until noon on Friday.

The region was battered by heavy rain and 20,000 properties were hit by power cuts, although Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said electricity had been restored to almost 18,500.

The Environment Agency said homes could be flooded in 45 areas of England and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency also warned there is a “danger to life” due to widespread flooding in five areas of Scotland, with flooding expected in a further 16 areas.

Gusts in excess of 60mph are likely on Friday, with particularly poor conditions on immediate coastlines with large waves adding to the list of hazards.

Several major road sections and rail routes are closed in Scotland, while air passengers are facing flight cancellations.

Flooding has also blocked several rail lines across northern England, the Midlands and north Wales.

The rare Met Office red weather warning began at 6pm on Thursday and has been expanded to include Dundee, Perth and Kinross, as well as Angus and Aberdeenshire, where 20ft waves were seen crashing in Stonehaven harbour.

Amber warnings for wind and rain have been issued for parts of northern England, the Midlands and northern Wales from noon on Friday to 6am on Saturday.

A yellow warning for Northern Ireland is also in place from 3am on Friday to 9am on Saturday.