Woman in her 80s is latest death due to Storm Babet as floods continue

The death takes the number of people who have died since the storm struck Britain last week to at least four.
Flooded fields around the River Lugg near Leominster (Ben Birchall/PA)
PA Wire
Jacob Phillips22 October 2023

A woman in her 80s has been found dead at a home in Derbyshire in what is believed to be the latest death caused by Storm Babet.

Derbyshire Police said they were called at around 10.35am on Saturday to the sudden death of a woman in Tapton Terrace, Chesterfield, and the force believes it was “related to the flooding seen in the Chesterfield area”.

It takes the number of people who have died since the storm struck Britain last week to at least four, as widespread flooding continues to cause chaos around the country.

The Environment Agency has warned that major rivers could still be flooded until Tuesday and train services are disrupted across parts of Scotland, Yorkshire and East Anglia, with some routes still flooded.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has advised its customers there are no services operating north of Edinburgh to Aberdeen.

ScotRail said routes remain closed between Aberdeen and Dundee, and Aberdeen and Elgin.

The Scottish train operator said it cannot run services on the Fife Circle route, or between Inverness and Wick, Thurso and Kyle of Lochalsh.

Derby City Council said it is seeing record-breaking water levels in the River Derwent and warned that cleaning up after the floods could take several days.

Three severe flood warnings – which means risk of death and serious injury – had been in place around the River Derwent in Derbyshire over the weekend but were downgraded on Sunday morning.

As of 11am, more than 200 flood warnings – where less dangerous flooding is expected – remained in place across England.

The Energy Network Association (ENA) said a “small handful” of homes would still be without power on Sunday after around 100,000 customers were initially affected by power cuts.

On Friday, a man in his 60s died after getting caught in fast-flowing floodwater in the town of Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire.

Police Scotland previously said a falling tree hit a van near Forfar in Angus on Thursday evening, killing the 56-year-old driver.

A 57-year-old woman also died on Thursday after being swept into a river in the region.

A search is also under way in Aberdeenshire after a report of a man trapped in a vehicle in floodwater.

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