New wind warning issued as Storm Bert threatens ‘danger to life’ flooding

A yellow wind warning has come into force for large parts of England, with gusts of up to 65mph expected in some places.

Another yellow warning for rain remains in place for much of south-west of England, where the Met Office is warning some communities may be cut off by flooded roads.

Dozens of red flood warnings have been issued, meaning flooding is expected and residents and business owners should “act now”.

West Midlands Fire Service said its crews rescued a person trapped in a car stranded in floodwater in Walsall on Sunday morning.

The worst-hit areas have seen dozens of millimetres of rain overnight, with flood alerts concentrated in Wales, the south-west and north-west of England.

Sunday is set to be a blustery day for all and wind warnings cover large swathes of the country. The Met Office issued a fourth wind warning for the UK on Sunday morning, which covers central and eastern parts of England from 8am until 9pm.

The M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire is closed again on Sunday because of strong winds, and the A66 in North Yorkshire and Cumbria is closed to high-sided and vulnerable vehicles in both directions between the A1M and M6 because of the gusty weather.

Three men died on the roads during Storm Bert.

A man in his 60s died after a tree fell on a car on the A34 near Winchester on Saturday morning, Hampshire Police said.

Officers are investigating whether the incident was linked to the storm.

Two other fatal collisions happened while the storm took hold in England.

West Yorkshire Police said a 34-year-old man died in a single-vehicle collision in Shipley the early hours of Saturday. It is unclear if the incident was related to Storm Bert but it is understood the road was not affected by ice.

Meanwhile in Northamptonshire, a man in his 40s died in a crash on the A45 near Flore.

Northamptonshire Police said the collision, at around 8.20am on Saturday, involved a silver Toyota Corolla and a dark grey Hyundai i30 Active.

It is not clear whether the incident was linked to the storm.

The Met Office has warned of very strong winds on Sunday which it says are likely to bring disruption to transport, and dangerous coastal and marine conditions.

Fallen trees caused travel disruption on Sunday morning. A tree blocking the railway between Reading and Basingstoke caused delays and cancellations to trains between the two stations, and in Surrey all lines between Cobham & Stoke D’abernon and Oxshott were blocked by a fallen tree.

Strong coastal gusts are forecast, and the Met Office has warned of a small chance of injuries caused by large waves and beach material being thrown on to seafront and coastal roads.

Gusts of 70mph are possible around exposed headlands and even inland areas could see winds of up to 60mph.

Around 350,000 homes have lost power so far as strong winds tore down power lines, though most have been reconnected.

A spokesperson for the Energy Networks Association said on Sunday: “Electricity network operators have restored power to 325,000 homes so far after Storm Bert damaged power infrastructure yesterday and today. The storm is forecast to move across England throughout today, with weather warnings and flood alerts remaining in force.

“Around 25,000 customers are without power as of 9am and more than 1,500 engineers and field staff have been deployed to fix damage today. Hundreds of additional staff are operating in contact centres and control rooms across the country to support customers.”

In a post on X on Saturday evening, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “My thoughts are with all those affected by Storm Bert.

“For those who have lost power, my department will be keeping in close touch with the energy companies as they seek to ensure it is restored as swiftly as possible and help those affected.”

Sunday will also be exceptionally mild for November, the Met Office said, with a high of 17.8C recorded in Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, before 10am.