Criticism of Met Office and flood defences amid storm wreckage

Forecasters, environment officials and politicians have been strongly criticised over the warnings issued before Storm Bert and the fitness of flood defences to cope with increasingly common extreme weather.

- Steven Morris Jamie Grierson

A huge clear-up is under way across swaths of Wales and England, with hundreds of properties flooded and a former Welsh mining town hit by a landslip from a coal tip, leaving buildings deep in sludge and mud.

By yesterday evening there were still more than 100 flood warnings active in Wales and England. A major incident was declared at Billing Aquadrome in Northamptonshire, where people were rescued from flooded homes and stranded vehicles.

There was also huge disruption on the rail network in parts of southern England and Wales with lines blocked by flood water, fallen trees and debris. Fire crews rescued 57 children from a school bus after it became stuck in flood water in Worcestershire.

The Met Office was criticised for issuing only a yellow warning as Storm Bert swept in across western and southern Britain, rather than amber or red. A Met Office spokesperson said a "full assessment" of its warnings would take place but insisted: "Storm Bert was well forecast, 48 hours in advance, with a number of warnings in place ahead of the system... the warnings covering Wales highlighted the potential for homes and businesses to flood with fast-flowing or deep flood water possible, causing a danger to life."