Third person killed in Storm Babet as man caught in 'fast-flowing' flood water

A man has become the third person killed by Storm Babet as he was caught in fast flowing flood water, according to police.

Members of the public reported the victim, believed to be a man in his 60s, had gone under the water in Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, today at around 10.40am. Officers from West Mercia Police attended with Shropshire Fire and Rescue but he was found dead at around 12.30pm.

A spokesman for the police force said: "A man has died after getting caught in fast-flowing flood water from a brook that breached a road in Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire today (Friday 20 October). Members of the public reported that the man had gone under the water shortly before 10:40 this morning.

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Flood waters in Brechin, Scotland (Alamy Live News.)

"Officers from West Mercia Police and Shropshire Fire and Rescue quickly attended but sadly he was found deceased at around 12:35. Whilst formal identification hasn’t yet taken place the family of a local man in his 60s have been informed and are being supported by officers."

New 'danger to life' red warning issued by Met Office after day of evacuations

The tragedy comes after a 56-year-old man was killed in Scotland by a falling tree in Angus where a red warning is in place for torrential rain and high winds. A 57-year-old woman's body was recovered from a river, also in Angus, where she is believed to have been swept into the Water of Lee.

More than 230 storm warnings are currently in place in England and Scotland among the ongoing carnage caused by the storm. Scotland has faced the brunt of the storm so far with hundreds of people evacuated from their homes. Some parts of Scotland have seen a month’s worth of rainfall in just a day and a half. In some areas, as much as 6.7 inches of rain have fallen in less than two days In Waterside Perth there has been 171mm of rain, according to SEPA data, meaning almost seven inches has fallen over the last few days. Invermark has had 158mm of rain, and Charr 143mm.

Rescue operations are under way in Brechin after flood defences were breached in the early hours of Friday morning, leading to hundreds of homes being surrounded by water. The local council has appealed for donations of warm clothes after 40 people turned up to rest centres while “soaked”. There is also an ongoing helicopter search in Aberdeenshire following a report of a man trapped in a vehicle in floodwater.