Storm Frank claims first victim in Scotland with more rains due on New Years Day

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Storm Frank claims first victim in Scotland with more rains due on New Years Day

Swathes of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England remain on flood alert after Storm Frank wreaked havoc causing businesses to close,evacuations and power cuts.

Police in Scotland have confirmed they recovered the body of a Kayaker who got into difficulty on a swollen river near Inverness.

The worst of Frank appears to have passed, but the damage remains.

Gordon Andrews is the chairman of the local Newton Stewart business association and is furious with the authorities for lack of planning:

“This is obviously been happening since the last flood in 2012 when we were flooded. We made it quite clear that something needed to be done. As usual all council has done is get consultants in and spent time talking and doing everything, but actually solving the problem.”

Flood-hit communities in north-west England have have been handed a reprieve after the Environment Agency removed the severe weather warnings from the area.

Still flood warnings remain around the River Ouse in York a city visited by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn:“We’re faced with terrible floods, we as a society have got to invest in flood defences. Invest in river basin management and invest in our environment agency. Cuts in public expenditure are not the answer.”

It is estimated that the costs of the flooding as a result of storms Eva, Desmond and Frank is close to €6.8bn with more heavy rains forecast for New Years Day.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-01-01