Storm Henk horror as three-year-old rescued from car sinking in flood waters
A three-year-old and a driver were rescued from a car sinking in flood water yesterday as Storm Henk battered Britain.
A hero passerby dived in, smashed a window and tied the vehicle to a bridge to stop it being washed away before helping them to safety. Police praised the act of bravery, publishing a photo of the car amid the deluge in Hall Green, Birmingham.
Storm Henk, which was dramatically named by meteorologists just one hour before it hit, ravaged the UK with gusts of up to 94mph recorded on the Isle of Wight and two inches of rain.
It is the eighth storm to be named by the Met Office since September 1, marking the fastest start to a storm-naming season ever. Its meteorologists blamed global warming.
The Met Office said: "If the air has an unlimited water supply, such as an ocean, then warmer air draws up extra moisture. This results in clouds containing a greater number of larger rain droplets. As the climate continues to warm, the effect will increase, and heavy rainfall events are expected to become more common."
Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts
Last year was provisionally the second warmest year on record for the UK, with Wales and Northern Ireland having their hottest 12 months ever. The latest storm brought with it mass disruption to travel and left hundreds without power.
Southern Rail told passengers to not travel unless absolutely necessary due to multiple weather-related incidents on its lines. South Western Railway urged commuters to stay at home and told passengers they were "authorised to book their own taxi to travel anywhere" across its network before claiming a refund.
The Environment Agency issued 181 flood warnings and 331 flood alerts from Bristol to Keswick in Cumbria. National Grid said there were about 1,000 homes without electricity in Cornwall. In Orpington, South East London, a woman was crushed after a tree fell and trapped her underneath.
Storm Henk brought chaos and flooding to parts of the UK (William Lailey SWNS)Firefighters were called to free her before she was taken to hospital in an air ambulance with injuries understood not to be life-threatening. A family were left terrified when Storm Henk hit the London Eye and blew a piece of their pod off.
David Nock and 11 family members, including five children aged between 11 and 15, were 400ft up the attraction when the drama unfolded.
Mr Nock, 43, an IT consultant from Bournemouth, said: "We were right at the top and there were very high winds and the service hatch on the pod got blown off. There were metal wires that hold it on and it was hanging on by those.
"We were stuck at the top for a good five minutes. The whole thing was stopping and starting and moving side to side. The noise was quite deafening. The kids all found it terrifying."
In Devon, a 12th Century tower of Grade I-listed Bickleigh Castle has fallen down after sustaining damage in Storm Gerrit, which preceded Henk over the weekend.
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