Homes evacuated and power cuts as Storm Frank hits UK

Storm Frank has battered parts of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland leaving more severe floods in its wake.

Scotland bore the brunt of the bad weather with hundreds of homes evacuated in the Borders towns of Dumfries, Hawick and Peebles.

Hundreds of homes are without power in Yorkshire and 31 flood warnings remain in place across Cumbria and Lancashire.

Forecasters said the worst of the rain had passed but more flooding was likely as water moved down from higher ground.

In Dumfries and Galloway, the River Nith has burst its banks causing flooding in the town of Dumfries. A severe flood warning, indicating danger to life, has been issued for the Whitesands area. The villages of Moffat and Carsphairn have been cut off and fire crews have been rescuing people from properties by boat.

The River Tweed in Peebles also has a severe flood warning in place and more than 300 homes have been evacuated in Hawick.

Emergency services responded to reports of a missing kayaker on the River Findhorn in Moray, while in south Ayrshire 12 passengers had to be airlifted from a bus stuck in flood water near to Dailly Cemetery.

More than 100 people evacuated from their homes in Ballater in Aberdeenshire are spending the night at Victoria Barracks which are usually used to house security personnel who guard the Queen when she stays at nearby Balmoral Castle.

In Northern Ireland, thousands of homes have experienced power cuts, air passengers have been delayed and fallen trees have caused problems on the roads.

In Devon, a delivery driver smashed through the window of a car to save the lives of two elderly people trapped in rising floodwater in Sparkwell, Devon.

Meanwhile, in North Yorkshire, soldiers have evacuated homes near a bridge in Tadcaster after it collapsed, prompting fears of flooding and a possible gas explosion.

The town's 18th-century stone bridge over River Wharf collapsed on Tuesday, causing a nearby gas pipe to rupture.

People watched the storm-battered masonry crumble into the swollen river.

Richard Sweeting, a member of the town council, said the community was finding it difficult to manage.

"The impact has been absolutely terrible because it's divided Tadcaster east and west. The bridge was the main thoroughfare to connect the whole town. The people in the west cannot get to the medical centre or to our supermarket."

Please note the emergency Flood Telephone line (24 hour service) - 0345 988 1188. Type talk (for the hard of hearing) 0345 602 6340. Our prayers are with the affected families.

In pictures:

The RAF has been involved in repairing damaged river banks in the village of Croston in Lancashire ahead of Storm Frank's arrival

Gas workers check flood-hit businesses in the North Yorkshire market town of Tadcaster

Side streets in Dumfries were seriously affected from early afternoon

Villages in Dumfries and Galloway have been overwhelmed with the amount of rain

                                      
                                      

Source: BBC