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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

I warned those clowns about this chaos: Glastonbury boss Michael Eavis repeatedly told Environment Agency Somerset would flood again unless they restarted dredging

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2548435/I-warned-Environment-Agency-clowns-flooding-chaos-repeatedly-says-Glastonbury-boss-Somerset-farmer-Michael-Eavis.html

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  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

'APOCALYPTIC': Storm Brigid rages towards UK bringing 150MPH KILLER winds, rain and SNOW

 

A VIOLENT and destructive storm is hurtling across the Atlantic and will smash into Britain TONIGHT.  The entire country faces at least three days of torrential downpours, savage 150mph gales and weeks of relentless flood misery. Storm Brigid is expected to first hit UK shores later this afternoon before the full force of the onslaught rips into the country tomorrow. Experts say it threatens to cause destruction on a par with the ferocious October St Jude’s Day Storm and subsequent Storm Emily which hit in December. It came as figures show some areas of England have already had their wettest January since records began. The Met Office said much of the south and Midlands already had twice the average rainfall for January by midnight on Tuesday - with three days still left in the month.

 

Several inches of rain are likely to fall in a matter of hours through the next few days, sealing the record for England’s wettest winter in history. So far eight inches of rain have fallen since the beginning of December, with just eight more needed to beat the 1914/15 record of 16. Officials have warned Britain will be crippled by frenzied winds capable of up ripping trees and tearing roof slates from buildings. Rivers already close to overflowing are likely to burst their banks sparking a torrent of flood warnings and alerts across the nation. Forecasters have warned a run of storms are lined up in the Atlantic threatening torrential rain and gales for at least a week.

 

Swathes of the country have been left under inches of water after heavy and relentless rain which has held out for weeks. Government forecasters have issued a raft of severe weather warnings for rain today and tomorrow across the south with more than an inch expected. There are also warnings for severe gale-force winds and potentially destructive waves along the west coast at the weekend. A further Met Office warning has been issued for snow across Scotland tomorrow with brutal gales expected to trigger blizzards.

 

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/456975/Storm-Brigid-rages-towards-Britain-bringing-150MPH-KILLER-winds-heavy-rain-and-SNOW

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  • Location: on a canal , probably near Northampton...
  • Weather Preferences: extremes n snow
  • Location: on a canal , probably near Northampton...

'APOCALYPTIC': Storm Brigid rages towards UK bringing 150MPH KILLER winds, rain and SNOW

 

A VIOLENT and destructive storm is hurtling across the Atlantic and will smash into Britain TONIGHT.  The entire country faces at least three days of torrential downpours, savage 150mph gales and weeks of relentless flood misery. Storm Brigid is expected to first hit UK shores later this afternoon before the full force of the onslaught rips into the country tomorrow. Experts say it threatens to cause destruction on a par with the ferocious October St Jude’s Day Storm and subsequent Storm Emily which hit in December. It came as figures show some areas of England have already had their wettest January since records began. The Met Office said much of the south and Midlands already had twice the average rainfall for January by midnight on Tuesday - with three days still left in the month.

 

Several inches of rain are likely to fall in a matter of hours through the next few days, sealing the record for England’s wettest winter in history. So far eight inches of rain have fallen since the beginning of December, with just eight more needed to beat the 1914/15 record of 16. Officials have warned Britain will be crippled by frenzied winds capable of up ripping trees and tearing roof slates from buildings. Rivers already close to overflowing are likely to burst their banks sparking a torrent of flood warnings and alerts across the nation. Forecasters have warned a run of storms are lined up in the Atlantic threatening torrential rain and gales for at least a week.

 

Swathes of the country have been left under inches of water after heavy and relentless rain which has held out for weeks. Government forecasters have issued a raft of severe weather warnings for rain today and tomorrow across the south with more than an inch expected. There are also warnings for severe gale-force winds and potentially destructive waves along the west coast at the weekend. A further Met Office warning has been issued for snow across Scotland tomorrow with brutal gales expected to trigger blizzards.

 

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/456975/Storm-Brigid-rages-towards-Britain-bringing-150MPH-KILLER-winds-heavy-rain-and-SNOW

Good old Express eh, never lets us down with it's measured and sensible reporting....

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  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Prince Charles To Visit Flood-Hit Communities

 

Prince Charles will visit flood-stricken communities in the South West to see for himself how they are coping with the crisis, it has been announced. The Prince will also meet emergency services involved in the relief effort and residents who remain trapped in villages cut off by water after the wettest January on record. The trip on Tuesday had been planned in advance of the floods for Charles to learn how communities coped with similar problems in 2012. The Prince will visit Stoke St Gregory and Muchelney where he will talk to residents, farmers and businesses, some who have criticised the government and the Environment Agency for what they say is a lack of action to prevent the floods.

 

Military personnel are currently on standby to move in to flood-hit Somerset, with further heavy rain and high tides due to hit parts of the UK in the next 48 hours. An amber severe weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for southwest England on Friday, parts of which have been flooded for more than a month. The public has been warned of significant disruption from flooding across the Somerset Levels. Northern Ireland, Wales, the South East have yellow weather warnings for rain and Northern Ireland is also expected to be affected by strong gales into the weekend.

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1204031/prince-charles-to-visit-flood-hit-communities

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  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

UK floods: More weather warnings for south and west

 

More rain, high winds and high tides are set to hit the south and west of the UK, causing further flooding. The Environment Agency has issued two severe flood warnings - meaning "danger to life" - for north Devon, and scores of lower-level warnings and alerts. The Met Office is warning of heavy rain in southern England - including the already flooded Somerset Levels - south Wales and parts of Northern Ireland. This January is already the wettest on record for many southern areas. A Met Office amber rain warning - meaning "be prepared" - has been issued for the Somerset Levels and is valid until 03:00 GMT on Saturday

 

The warning said the public should be prepared for "significant disruption from flooding across the Somerset Levels", where large areas are already under water. Most of southern England and south Wales, as well as County Antrim, County Armagh and County Down in Northern Ireland, are subject to a lower-level yellow warning throughout Friday until 03:00 on Saturday. "A further area of heavy rain will spread eastwards across the UK on Friday, clearing the southeast of England during the early hours of Saturday," the warning said. "20-30mm (1in) of rain will fall quite widely, with around 40mm on some high ground in the southwest of England and south Wales. The heavy rain will be accompanied by strong to gale force winds." Meanwhile, a small number of flood warnings have been issued in Scotland.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25973344

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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Batten down the hatches! Britain prepares for new Atlantic storm as students are ordered to evacuate their seaside accommodation amid high tide and flood warnings

  • Severe flood warnings increased to 43, up from 35 last night, with winds of up to 60mph expected
  • Aberystwyth University students evacuated from halls until Monday at 4pm as a precaution
  • COBRA meeting at 6pm to discuss floods, Cameron 'has confidence' in Owen Paterson's management of crisis
  • Princes Charles to visit Somerset on Tuesday to meet flood victims
  • Parts of Southern England have seen the wettest January since records began more than a century ago in 1910
  • Environment Agency warns all coasts of England and Northern Ireland to beware severe winds, rain and floods
  • Large area from East Devon to Kent and inland across parts of Midlands has already seen twice the average rainfall
  • Further heavy rain expected in the area and the Met Office warns of significant downfalls today and Saturday
  • Up to an inch of rain could fall across Somerset Levels throughout Saturday, with strong winds of up to 60mph

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2549373/Red-sky-warning-Beautiful-sunrise-London-ahead-vicious-storm-cause-flooding.html

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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Somerset Abandoned 40 Years Ago, Says Eavis

 

Glastonbury Festival organiser Michael Eavis has hit out at the government for "abandoning" dredging of Somerset rivers 40 years ago. "The EA decided to abandon the dredging for the sake of the river bank and they sold the wonderful dredging machines for scrap," said the dairy farmer. "Can you believe it? That was 40 years ago. This (flooding) is the result of that decision."  He said it only used to be that the area flooded every 20 years. "There is flooding every year now; it's a serious disaster, a serious problem. It's impossible to live there and run the whole dairy industry. "We've been campaigning for years to get this sorted out. Finally, I think the Prime Minister is going to deal with it and get the money to do the job, but it's taken a long time to get there." He said the EA needs "to drain, to get the machines back we used to have or something similar, to dredge the three rivers that go to Burnham-on-Sea so we can get the water out to the sea as fast as possible".

 

He said the mud at his famous music festival was a different matter. "Mud is totally different to 10 feet of water - the sun comes out and in three weeks its all gone. Mr Eavis, who farms at Pilton, on the edge of the Somerset Levels, spoke out after its was announced that Prince Charles will visit flood-stricken communities in the South West. The Prince will meet emergency services involved in the relief effort and residents who remain trapped in villages cut off by water after the wettest January on record. The visit, on Tuesday, had been planned in advance of the floods for Charles to learn how communities coped with similar problems in 2012. In the village of Stoke St Gregory, he will host a reception for residents, farmers and emergency service workers who have been affected by the flooding on the Somerset Levels.

 

He is likely to receive a warmer reception than Environment Secretary Owen Paterson who received a hostile reaction from locals when he visited on Monday. Residents said they were living in "Third World" conditions - with "overflowing" septic tanks and water in their homes. Military personnel are currently on standby to move in to flood-hit Somerset, with further heavy rain and high tides due to hit parts of the UK in the next 48 hours. An amber severe weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for southwest England on Friday, parts of which have been flooded for more than a month. The public has been warned of significant disruption from flooding across the Somerset Levels.

 

Pat Flaherty, deputy chief executive of Somerset County Council, said: "With potential for high winds and high tides and more rain... falling on an already soaked catchment we have potential for further flooding over the weekend. "And with that, ongoing flooding for a number of weeks to come. "We're still working very closely with the military who remain in Somerset, planning with us and we also have the resilience of knowing that their equipment and personnel are ready to be mobilised should we require them." The Ministry of Defence has tweeted that personnel involved in helping with Somerset floods are drawn from all three services, with the majority from Taunton-based 40 Commando Royal Marines. In addition to vehicle crews, up to 100 military personnel are on stand-by for duties likely to include sandbag filling and loading. The Red Cross has also sent its 7.5-ton Unimog, an emergency supply vehicle capable of driving through deep floodwater.

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1204403/somerset-abandoned-40-years-ago-says-eavis

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  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Rainstorms to last up until the Spring

 

BRITAIN is facing another month of storm hell – with no let up until early spring. This weekend Storm Brigid is set to roar in, unleashing yet more torrential rain and gales up to 90mph. But last night long-term weather forecasters warned that Brigid is just one of several low pressure storm systems set to sweep in from the Atlantic over the coming weeks. Britain will be battered by fierce gales, heavy downpours and coastal surges today before another onslaught next week. The Met Office warned that high tides, rising river levels and severe gusts will trigger more flood misery. It has issued severe weather warnings for rain across a swathe of western Britain with a more serious amber alert in the South and South-west. Gales could reach 90mph, mainly in the West, while plunging temperatures have triggered a nationwide alert for ice. Even when Brigid recedes, another Atlantic vortex is set to crash into Britain on Monday.

 

Jonathan Powell, forecaster for Vantage Weather Services, said: “It looks like there will be no shift in this pattern of stormy weather for another month at least with more low pressure systems lined up to sweep in. “The first 10 days of February are looking particularly wet and windy, and that could see us out for the rest of winter. “This weekend will see the latest barrage with winds easily hitting 90mph in parts and yet more torrential rain. “The storm is strong enough to cause structural damage, bring down branches and lead to major disruption.†For today, Met Office forecaster Jim Trice said: “The main problem for most people will be the winds as this low pressure system comes close to the UK.

 

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/457358/Rainstorms-to-last-up-until-the-Spring

The wettest January since records began

 

A VIOLENT Atlantic storm threatens three days of chaos across Britain as the wettest January on record comes to an end. Gales of more than 90mph are set to roar in today while torrential downpours will heap more misery on flood-hit regions. This morning will see the first taste of Storm Brigid with its full force due to be unleashed from tomorrow. Forecasters expect devastation and disruption on par with the storms that battered Britain last month and triggered gusts of 142mph in Scotland. Meanwhile a series of low pressure systems lined up in the Atlantic threaten more heavy rain and winds, lasting possibly for another fortnight.

 

The Met Office last night issued alerts for torrential downpours and gales across the country over the next three days with a separate warning for snow in the North. It comes as provisional Government figures show a swathe of southern England from East Devon to Kent and across parts of the Midlands has seen 6.9 inches of rain in January – twice the average for the month. January 5 was the wettest day for the UK as a whole since records began in 1910. Met Office chief forecaster Paul Gundersen said the South-west, where many places including the worst-hit Somerset Levels are currently under floodwater, will take the brunt of the new storm.

 

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/457123/The-wettest-January-since-records-began

 
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  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Call in the Navy! Weather to dramatically worsen as storm Brigid batters coast

 

BATTERED Britain will be hit by 50ft waves today, gale force winds and driving rain as Storm Bridgid blows in. Forecasters warned of 80mph gusts, hours of downpours and snow across much of Britain. And the extreme weather from the Atlantic is expected to bring huge tidal and river swells in parts of Britain that have already suffered widespread floods. Weather Channel forecaster Leon Brown said: “There will be severe gales in Wales and western England in the afternoon and all evening, with gusts of more than 80mph. Large waves could also pound the south-west and Welsh coasts. “Even inland we may see gusts of more than 60mph as a band of heavy showers moves eastwards. “Huge seas off the west coast of Ireland will batter the coast at high tide, with waves perhaps over 50ft high.â€

 

Looking further ahead, he warned: “There will be more stormy and wet weather next week from Wednesday onwards.†The thousands of people flooded out for four weeks in Somerset were last night told they face 20 more years of misery after environment bosses came under attack for ending the dredging of rivers. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has said dredging will start again as soon as it is safe. But he warned: “We have established we do need a proper 20-year plan to satisfactorily cover this very specialist part of our country.†He added: “There is further bad weather coming in, there will be heavy rain. That, combined with significant high spring tides mean that I’m afraid there is real risk of flooding to properties.â€

 

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/363428/Call-in-the-Navy-Weather-to-dramatically-worsen-as-storm-Brigid-batters-coast

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  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Weather: Rain And High Tides Are 'Risk To Life'

 

Heavy rain, large waves and strong winds are expected to create a "significant risk to life", as parts of Britain are hit by another band of severe weather. The Environment Agency warned "extraordinary measures" may be taken in Gloucestershire today to keep back tidal and river floods. It issued severe flood warnings - meaning there is an imminent danger to life - for several parts of the county and the coasts of Cornwall and north Devon, where a spring tide and stormy seas whipped up by gusts of more than 60mph pose a serious threat. Further warnings are in place along the length of the River Severn amid fears it could burst its banks.

 

Flood barriers have already been installed in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and Bewdley, Worcestershire, as the water level rises. The Environment Agency warned against all non-essential travel amid fears drivers could become stranded, while Gloucestershire Police urged people to stay away from river banks. Lesser warnings remain in place for many parts of Britain, including the already blighted Somerset levels and west Wales, where 49 flood warnings and 15 alerts have been issued this morning.

 

In the the Republic of Ireland this morning, there were reports of severe flooding in Limerick City with the river Shannon bursting its banks. Isabel Webster, reporting from the River Parrett in Burrowbridge, Somerset, tweeted at 8.30am: "High tide in Burrowbridge this morning. It's just touching the sand bags." Minutes later she tweeted: "Water is seeping through giant sandbags onto road beyond at high tide here in Burrowbridge." Amid fears the bags would not hold back the water an emergency team from the Environment Agency, rushed to the scene to bolster the defences.

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1204446/weather-rain-and-high-tides-are-risk-to-life

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  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Brazil's Hot Summer Causes Massive Algae Slick

 

A large red slick of algae visible from space is taking over the Brazilian coastline. The dark red patch stretches almost 500 miles from Rio de Janeiro past Sao Paulo to the southern state of Santa Catarina. It is a reaction to the hot summer in Brazil, with record temperatures and the lowest rainfall for 70 years. It is made up of decomposing algae which has been eaten by micro-organisms and then killed by the rising sea temperatures. Although it is not toxic it can affect marine life. Oceanographer David Zee told Sky News that a great amount of organic material which feeds off algae combined with the unusually warm sea water created the enormous red slick. He added that the January heatwave has been so intense that only a big storm will break it and then split up and shift the red mass.

 

While the water at the top remains at 30C and the sea currents are not shifting the pollution from rivers the red slick will continue there. In normal circumstances winds, rain and maritime currents do not allow such a slick to form. Tourists saw green foam over several days on the beaches in Rio which was a product of the red slick. Although it was not harmful many were put off by the sticky foam which came onto the sandy beaches. But the hot temperatures mean that many are still heading to the beaches to cool off.

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1204679/brazils-hot-summer-causes-massive-algae-slick

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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

High tides and winds threaten more flooding

 

High tides and gale force winds could bring more flooding to parts of south-west England and the Midlands, the Environment Agency has warned. It has five severe flood warnings - meaning a danger to life - three on the Severn estuary near Gloucester and two on the north Cornwall coast. Lesser warnings affect many parts of Britain including western Wales and the flood-hit Somerset Levels. Cobra, the government's emergency committee, has met on the issue. Discussions on Friday evening were chaired by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson who is urging residents to "listen to all the advice being issued". "Environment Agency staff are working day and night, alongside the emergency services and other local specialist agencies, to get communities ready for the bad weather," he said.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25996176

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Posted
  • Location: HANDSWORTH BIRMINGHAM B21. 130MASL. 427FT.
  • Weather Preferences: WINTERS WITH HEAVY DISRUPTIVE SNOWFALL AVRAGE SPRING HOT SUMMERS.
  • Location: HANDSWORTH BIRMINGHAM B21. 130MASL. 427FT.

i hope those folks get all the help they need it's not easy losing their livelyhood. As for paul hudson if he has spoken out against the met i take my hat off to him. It's a poor excuse by the u.k met blaming lack of arctic data. If that's the case then u.k met should invest to rectify the problem, they get enough cash from tax payers and also money coming in from other sectors e.g bisnusses.

Edited by AVFC.
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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Drought-hit California unable to supply state water

 

California's water agency has announced it may for the first time be unable to deliver water to local agencies, amid a worsening drought. Two-thirds of state residents and 1m acres (404,500 hectares) of farmland get part or all of their drinking and irrigation supplies from the agency. A state-wide drought was declared earlier this month, as the largest reservoirs sank to record low levels. Forecasters have warned 2014 could be California's driest year on record. The extreme conditions have already caused a wildfire that destroyed homes in the Los Angeles area. Previous extremely dry years led to catastrophic wildfire seasons in California in 2003 and 2007.

 

'Drought is real'

 

It is the first time in the water agency's history that it has predicted a so-called "zero allocation", which will affect around 25m people. State governor Jerry Brown said the announcement was a "stark reminder that California's drought is real". He urged residents to conserve water, suggesting they avoid flushing toilets unnecessarily and to turn off the tap while shaving. Meanwhile a spokesman for the state's farming federation called the news "a terrible blow". The water originates from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. It is delivered to local agencies via a vast network of reservoirs, pipelines, aqueducts and pumping stations. The 29 agencies that draw from the state's water-delivery system have other sources, Associated Press reports, although these too have been badly hit.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25996522

Edited by Summer Sun
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  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Health risk as deadly bugs lurk in polluted flood waters

 

FLOOD-HIT families now fear their homes are polluted with toxic bacteria from stagnant water full of raw sewage. Last night testing in the Somerset Levels was revealed to have found the water is carrying 60 times the safe level of bacteria.

Microbiologists testing water in Moorlands, Somerset,  found it contains 60,000 to 70,000  bacteria per 100 millilitre. Water should contain no more than 1,000 per millilitre, according to the World Health Organisation. Father-of-two Gavin Sadler said: “We’ve been told children shouldn’t go in any of the areas for two months after the water has gone.†Floodwaters can carry deadly diseases such as cholera and typhoid. No details have been given of which bacteria has been found in Somerset. Since the storms struck a month ago, there have been fears that floods would inundate septic tanks and sewerage systems.

 

Farmer James Winslade, 40, whose 790 acres have been underwater since New Year’s Day, described the squalor. “We’ve got 95 per cent of the farm under water, ranging from 2ft to 10ft deep. The wind’s behind the water and we’ve got waves crashing in. “Two sewerage farms and all the septic tanks from the villages have flooded. We’ve got raw sewerage and syringes and tampons, you name it, washing up against the house. “We can’t let the children out anymore because of the smell and the contamination.†Mr Sadler, a member of campaign group Flooding on the Levels Action Group (Flag), said he now overlooks a lake where his garden used to be. He added: “We began speaking our concerns back on December 18 and it feels like it’s only now that we are being taken seriously. The guys on the ground for the Environment Agency have been great but some questions ought to be asked at management level. Where was the help weeks ago?â€

 

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/457503/Health-risk-as-flood-water-is-polluted-with-toxic-bacteria-from-sewage

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  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Murky flood water 'life threatening' as docs warn sickened residents

 

FILTHY flood water could kill and spread infectious diseases like wildfire, experts warned last night. Small babies, the elderly and cancer patients are most at risk as storms batter Britain again. Public health officials said high levels of bacteria found in floodwater in Somerset could pose a "significant risk to life and were a very real danger." E.coli and Weil's disease are just two of the illnesses they fear will spread. Microbiologists' revealed floodwater contained 60 times the amount of safe bacteria. Infectious diseases consultant Dr Martin Wiselka said: "Damage will be done if raw sewage starts to infect water. If water supplies have been contaminated it will pose a serious, and possibly fatal, problem." Residents are also at risk of catching cryptosporidiosis - a bowel infection common in third world countries with symptoms including diarrhoea, sickness and fever lasting for up to a month. Dr Wiselka added: "In healthy people the disease would be very uncomfortable but it could turn life-threatening for vulnerable people.

 

"Babies, the elderly, those with a lowered immune system could all be at risk." Water-borne disease expert David Harper said it is vital people are wary - adding if temperatures rise, water could become infested with mosquitos which can spread malaria and meningitis. The public health consultant, 71, said: "E.coli would be a major concern as that can enter the water from human or animal faecal matter or dead animals. Weil's Disease, spread by rat urine, is also a potential danger. "The disease is passed through the blood so those with cuts could become infected. "And to be frank, this disease can be fatal, especially for younger and elderly people." The shock findings came to light after microbiologist Nathaniel Storey, from the University of Reading, took samples from moorland and found the water contained 60,000 to 70,000 bacteria per 100 millilitres. The World Health Organisation says agricultural water should have no more than 1,000 bacteria per 100 millilitres.

 

Water treatment expert Michael Pritchard warned that hundreds of Somerset families who rely on water from wells could face contamination from E.coli. He explained: "Several hundreds of families will be on their own wells, so they definitely should not drink it." Mr Pritchard also suggested there could be an increase in cases of Weil's disease. He added: "As the water rises and the sewerage rises and the rats are forced out of it, that sort of contamination will spread." Last night high tides and gale force winds were set to bring more flooding to parts of south-west England and the Midlands. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson urged residents to "listen to all the advice being issued".

 

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/363575/Murky-flood-water-life-threatening-as-docs-warn-sickened-residents

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  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Flood-Hit Parts Of Britain Face Further Woe

 

Continuing high tides are expected to bring further risks of flooding today in already swamped parts of the UK and Republic of Ireland. UK forecasters warn the coast of Wales and southwest England, including the coasts and tidal areas of Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, will continue to bear the brunt of the weather. There are currently more than 400 flood alerts, warnings and severe warnings in place across England and Wales, according to the Environment Agency. Of those, three are severe flood warnings - the highest level of alert meaning there is an imminent danger to life - issued along the Severn estuary, near Gloucester.

 

On Saturday in the Republic of Ireland dozens of people were rescued and the army was drafted in to deal with "unprecedented" flooding in Limerick City after the river Shannon burst its banks. With gusts of almost 80mph in coastal areas of the country, several parts were hit by flooding and at one stage 5,500 homes and properties were left without power, 4,000 of them in Ennis, Co Clare. Several flights out of Dublin airport were cancelled because of the strong winds. Environment Agency staff have been hard at work near the Somerset village of Burrowbridge, where several road closures remain in place.

 

Road access to the village from the neighbouring Moorlands has been shut off, with several large-scale pumps being used to direct the water out into the bursting River Barrett. Huge sandbags have been placed by the waters edge, along with several signs erected by residents urging the authorities to "dredge the river". In the north of England, Cumbria County Council said its workers had to deal with a "major weather incident" in West Cumbria - after 150 tons of debris brought on the by the floods washed up on a road. In west Wales 10 people were rescued after the bus they were travelling in was hit by a big wave near Newgale. Milford Haven Coastguard was contacted just after 7pm last night with reports the bus was stuck on the seafront and was surrounded by water. The wind at the time was gusting over 50mph.

 

Meanwhile, tests for Sky News have found floodwater in Somerset, where the floods have persisted for weeks, contains 60 times the amount of safe bacteria for agricultural water. Microbiologist Nathaniel Storey, who carried out the research, said the results were not unexpected given the extent of the flooding. "It's perhaps unsurprising considering there's septic tanks in these people's gardens that are overflowing and animals within close proximity," he told Sky News. "Therefore all this excrement that's in these areas is being dredged up by the floodwater and taken into houses and into gardens." Mr Storey predicted it would take "about two to three months" for the bacterial levels to drop significantly, and warned that those involved in the clean-up operation must take precautions such as washing hands.

 

David Cameron has admitted it was "not acceptable" for people to have to live in the conditions they have faced for the past month and said dredging would begin "as soon it is safe to do so". But Ian Liddell-Grainger, Conservative MP for Bridgwater in Somerset, said the county's constituents were "sick to death" of the situation in the South West. The MP hit out at the Environment Agency for what he described as its failure to dredge the river, and called on the Government to hand over money that would bring a reprieve to beleaguered communities. Following a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee yesterday, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said that all requests from local authorities and emergency services for additional support had been met. "Everything possible is being done over the weekend to help those affected by flooding and to prepare for the further bad weather and high tides forecast overnight and into next week," he said.

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1205079/flood-hit-parts-of-britain-face-further-woe

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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Please tell me this is true!!  

 

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/20/gulf-stream-hot-summer-uk-climate-change

 

 

 

Have you read this SummerSun!!

 

Thanks for the link I'd love it to be true but given that this sort of stuff has appeared before I take it with a pinch of salt

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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Flooding: 'Everything possible being done', says Owen Paterson

 

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson says "everything possible" is being done to help those affected by flooding - as more bad weather is expected. The Environment Agency has three severe flood warnings, meaning danger to life, on the Severn estuary, near Gloucester. Waves were driven onto the seafront at Aberystwyth for the second time this year. And a sea angler has been reported missing off the Aberdeenshire coast in "exceedingly rough" conditions. On Saturday, 150 homes in the South West, South East and Midlands flooded. BBC Weather's Alex Deakin warned of "a very high tide" on Sunday morning, with the risk of coastal flooding remaining.

 

But he said that, overall, things had improved. Sunday should offer something of a respite with winds continuing to ease down and some sunshine around. But there was more extreme weather to come, he warned. An area of low pressure would arrive on Monday, bringing more wind and rain to western areas, while another "fiendish, deep low" would swing across the UK on Tuesday night and Wednesday bringing with it more of the same, he added.

 

Posted Image

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25996176

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Posted
  • Location: Alresford, Near Colchester, Essex
  • Weather Preferences: As long as it's not North Sea muck, I'll cope.
  • Location: Alresford, Near Colchester, Essex

BBC weather for the week ahead with Tomasz Schafernaker

 

More rain

 

More Gales

 

 

Thanks for posting. Posted Image Somehow I managed to forget to watch, even though it was on my mind this morning! Posted Image

Edited by Steve C
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Posted
  • Location: Brongest,Wales
  • Weather Preferences: Stormy autumn, hot and sunny summer and thunderstorms all year round.
  • Location: Brongest,Wales

Don't get what all the fuss is about, its Winter.Posted Image

 

Expect it to be wet and windy. 

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