The River Thames has burst its banks, flooding the £9 million island home of George and Amal Clooney in Sonning, Berkshire. The five-and-a-half acre property on Mill Island was submerged as river levels remained high following days of heavy rain across the UK.
The Environment Agency issued 70 flood warnings yesterday, meaning flooding is expected and immediate action required. The rivers Severn and Avon also burst their banks, leaving properties waterlogged in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, with Tewkesbury one of the worst-hit areas. Residents in the Midlands and Yorkshire continued to battle flood damage.
Despite some areas experiencing their wettest autumn on record, relief is forecast. Met Office spokeswoman Sophie Yeomans said: “There is some rainfall around, but it’s looking light and patchy. There’s no long-lasting or heavy rain – it’s a good situation.” However, a cold snap is expected, with sub-zero temperatures in central Scotland and lows of -9C (16F). The mercury could fall to -3C in the South tonight, with Britain colder than Scandinavia.
The Environment Agency warned that river flooding would continue in the Lower River Don washlands area in South Yorkshire, causing property flooding and travel disruption. Two inches of rain are expected this week, starting in the West today and affecting flood-hit Yorkshire from Thursday. Communities in central and northern England are undertaking clean-up operations with pumping to reduce water levels.
According to Severe Weather EU, the extreme weather is caused by the “collapse” of a polar vortex. Meteorologist Andrej Flis said: “The weakening of the stratospheric polar vortex is well underway. What all this means for our weather? Well, a collapsed vortex always greatly increases the chances for winter weather towards Europe.”
