STORM TRAGEDY
UK weather: Storm Babet claims first victim as woman, 57, dies after being swept into river amid heavy rain & floods
STORM Babet has tragically claimed its first victim as a woman's body was this afternoon pulled from a rising Scottish river.
The devastating news comes as another weather warning was put in place for parts of the UK - with officials urging Brits to take care amid the downpours.
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Police this evening confirmed the body of a woman, 57, had been recovered from a river in Angus - where a red weather alert is in place.
It is one of the many warnings the Met Office has set up across the country.
Officers had been raced to Water of Lee at Glen Esk around 1.45pm today after reports a woman had been swept into a river.
The 57-year-old's body was devastatingly found at 4pm.
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Police Scotland said: "There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
Tributes are already pouring in for the woman.
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Such sad news. My thoughts are with the family, friends and loved ones of the woman who has sadly lost her life."
While Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross wrote: "Dreadful news from Angus this evening.
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"My thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of the lady who has sadly lost her life."
The woman's tragic death came as the town of Brechin, in Aberdeenshire was ordered to evacuate as the wild weather wreaked havoc.
More than 350 properties were told they had 24 hours to get out amid "exceptional" rainfall.
Rescue teams have been knocking on doors and urging people to evacuate since this afternoon, as the Met Office issued a "risk to life" red weather warning.
Angus Council also warned residents they must evacuate if they're asked to - as peak flood waters are expected to hit at 1am and 8am tomorrow.
It wrote on social media: "The latest modelling from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is that river levels could reach an unprecedented 5m about normal levels.
"The Brechin flood defenses are designed to deal with river levels of 3.8m."
'SERIOUS RISK TO LIFE'
The council added: "This means that there is a serious risk to life from excessive flooding. Building on work undertaken already we are, currently revisiting all properties identified as at risk to evacuate remaining residents who were reluctant to leave earlier."
Met Office this evening also warned rain will drench southeastern parts of England from 10pm, until 9am tomorrow.
It said this could cause travel chaos from Birmingham, down to Portsmouth, across to Canterbury and back up past Cambridge.
Meanwhile, Brechin is joined by Laurencekirk, Montrose and Forfar in the north-east of Scotland covered by a red alert.
The warning came into effect at 6pm today and is due to last until 12 noon on Friday.
Some locations are likely to see between 20-25cm (8 to 10 inches) of rainfall.
Extensive flooding, road closures, loss of power and collapsing buildings should all be expected by communities in the area, warns the forecaster.
RED WARNING
Some towns may be completely cut off, the weather agency says, "perhaps for several days".
And commuters have been urged to not travel unless absolutely necessary and residents should stay indoors to stay safe.
It marks the first time a red warning for rain has been issued in the UK since Storm Dennis in February 2020.
Meanwhile, a new amber warning for rain has been issued for parts of northern England, the Midlands and Wales.
The warning is in place from noon on Friday to 6am on Saturday due to persistent heavy rain caused by Storm Babet.
Between 40 and 60mm of rain is likely, with the potential for between 80 and 120mm on higher ground, the Met Office said.
Flooding has already swamped towns and villages across the UK during Storm Babet.
'ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED'
The storm ravaged Ireland yesterday, with the army deployed to a town where more than 100 properties were flooded.
It comes as shocking footage emerged of extreme floods wreaking havoc across Ireland as a in Co Cork.
Onlookers were left helpless as the small red car was swept up in the water, which had consumed the entire streets of Midleton.
The footage shows the vehicle being carried at speed in the currents as members of the fire brigade, along with other emergency personnel, worked to get people out of the way.
People could be seen wading through the water, carrying children to safety in their arms and placing them on raised walls as the flood gushed by.
Shocking images have also emerged of flooding on the inside of Midleton Hospital, which has suffered significant damage.
More footage showed a local Supervalu store "absolutely destroyed" after water consumed the shop and groceries floated to the surface.
'UNPRECEDENTED'
The town has also been badly affected by power outages, with the ESB confirming that almost 1,000 properties are without electricity.
Meanwhile, coastal towns in the West Country have been bombarded by waves as high as 15ft, bringing four-foot-deep sea foam, according to witnesses.
Local resident Gillian Burgess told "The waves are breaching the seawall. Some are going at least 15ft higher from the railway track.
"The sea foam is quite incredible and must be at least four feet deep."
As the rain moves northwards, it will stall across central and eastern parts of Scotland where the rain will become heavy and persistent from Thursday through to Saturday.
There is an amber severe weather warning for rain for this area, meaning exceptionally wet conditions are likely.
Some schools will close due to Storm Babet, with local authorities working to "preserve life".
Angus Council said the severe weather warnings were "unprecedented", and schools would be closing at lunchtime on Thursday, and all day Friday.
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The council said Sepa advised that the North and South Esk River were at greatest risk of flooding and sand bags were being distributed, with flood prevention schemes utilised in Brechin and Arbroath.
Many of the affected areas across Scotland are still saturated by heavy rain that caused flooding earlier this month.
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