A red flood warning – meaning danger to life – has been issued for a river in south-west England as Storm Chandra brought heavy rain and strong winds to many areas of the UK.
The Environment Agency (EA) said severe flooding was expected on Tuesday morning in Ottery St Mary, which sits on the River Otter, with the flood water expected to be deep and fast-flowing.
Emergency services and local authorities were working with the EA, which advised people in parts of the town under threat to move family, pets and cars if safe to do so and turn off gas, electricity and water.
As day broke on Tuesday, there were almost 100 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – in England and nearly 200 alerts – meaning flooding is possible – in place, with heavy rain falling on already saturated ground. There were 17 flood alerts in Wales.
The storm was causing trouble for travellers. The M48 Severn Crossing between England and Wales was closed because of the strong winds, while high-sided vehicles were banned from the Humber Bridge in north-east England.
Sections of roads in Dorset, Somerset and east Devon were closed due to flooding. Gwent police said that the A40 was flooded between Abergavenny and Raglan in south-east Wales.
National Highways said the A66 was closed between the A67 near Bowes in County Durham and the A685 near Brough in Cumbria because of snow. Drivers travelling across the Pennines were being advised to “plan ahead and consider alternate routes”.
Rail operators advised people to check their planned routes before setting out. National Rail said poor weather might affect services in south-west England until the end of the day.
An amber weather warning for rain was in place on Tuesday morning for parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. The Met Office said 30-50mm rainfall was likely in these areas, with 60-80mm across some higher ground, especially south Dartmoor.
A second amber warning was in force for wind for parts of Northern Ireland, where the Met Office said severe gales were likely, which could bring down trees and cause dangerous coastal conditions. Gusts of up to 75mph were expected.
The Met Office said winds were often coming from a more unusual southeasterly or easterly direction, so places usually sheltered would bear the brunt. The forecaster predicted that snow could fall on higher ground in parts of the northern UK, causing blizzard-like conditions in some places.
Parts of south-west England are still coping with the fallout from Storms Goretti and Ingrid earlier this month. Winds of 99mph (160km/h) hit the Isles of Scilly and thousands of people in Cornwall were left without power, water and internet. The storm also brought down thousands of trees.
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