Body found in Storm Babet search for man reported missing in van

Police searching for a man reported missing in his van during Storm Babet have found a body, the force has announced.

At least nine lives were lost over the weekend as the elements battered areas of the UK with torrential rain and heavy winds causing flooding. Angus and Aberdeenshire were badly hit by the storm and teams are still clearing debris from roads in the region and assessing damage to bridges. Police Scotland had been searching for a man reported missing on Friday in Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, in a van and confirmed this afternoon a man has been found. In a statement Police Scotland confirmed his next of kin have been informed.

A car on a bridge washed away by the torrential storm in Scotland (Getty Images)

It said: "Officers carrying out searches following an incident on Friday, 20 October, where a man within a vehicle was trapped in floodwater near Marykirk, have recovered the body of a man and a vehicle. Formal identification is still to take place, however next of kin have been informed."

The force earlier confirmed the identity of another victim of the hellish storm. Much-loved father John Gillan, 56, was killed when a tree hit his van on the B9127 at Whigstreet, near Forfar, on Thursday, October 19. Police Scotland confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

John Gillan was killed when a tree hit his van (PA)

In a released statement, his family said: "We are devastated by the loss of John and the circumstances in which he died. John was a loving husband to Gaynor, dad to Marc, father-in-law to Natasha, and grandad to Reygan and Finley. He was also a loving son to John and Moira, brother to Wendy and a loving uncle, son-in-law and brother-in-law. John will be deeply missed by us all. Thank you to family and friends for supporting us through this indescribably difficult time. We'd like to request that our privacy be respected whilst we grieve for John."

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Flooded roads in Derby as Storm Babet swept through (Getty Images)

In more horror from the extreme weather, a woman in her 80s was found dead inside her flooded home in Derbyshire on Sunday. Elsewhere, Flooding caused chaos around the country with travel disruption across parts of Yorkshire, Scotland, East Anglia and the East Midlands on Sunday. Storm Babet brought huge damage and disruption across the north of England and Scotland. Staff manning a North Sea drilling platform, around 146 miles east of Aberdeen, were airlifted to other sites on Saturday when four of its eight of its anchors came loose during the storm.

Elsewhere, in Catcliffe near Rotherham, the concern turned to widespread outrage from locals as they arrived home to find their belongings destroyed in the floodwaters. Many said they were “promised it would never happen again” after devastating floods back in 2007. Hundreds across the country have been left homeless, with about 1,250 properties in England flooded, the Environment Agency (EA) said. Spokeswoman Anna Calder said significant river flooding impacts will continue for parts of the Midlands until Friday, with minor impacts continuing in parts of the Midlands and the north-east of England until Wednesday.