CLAUDIA FLOODS CHAOS

RESCUE workers declared a major incident yesterday after Storm Claudia created "severe and widespread" flooding that turned roads into rivers, leaving houses and shops underwater.

- BY PATRICK HILL

Emergency services and local rescue teams were forced to evacuate residents in Monmouth, South Wales, after a threat-to-life warning was issued at 1.30am yesterday morning.

It came after Storm Claudia swept across large parts of England, Wales and Scotland, with a month's worth of rain falling in just 24 hours in some areas overnight.

The area manager for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Matt Jones, described the Monmouth rescue operation as "a large-scale incident" in which crews had worked tirelessly through the night.

Laura Anne Jones, regional member of the Senedd for South Wales East, said: "My thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by flooding. It is heartbreaking to see the devastation to homes and businesses."

She added power in Monmouth was off and evacuees had been moved to the town's leisure centre.

County councillor Martin Newell, who owns a business in the town, said he had been left "absolutely heartbroken" after seeing the damage.