Second death in Storm Babet as new red warning issued

A 56-year-old driver died after a falling tree hit a van near Forfar in Angus on Thursday evening.

Storm Babet has battered the country (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

A second person has died during Storm Babet as parts of Scotland were battered by high winds and “unprecedented” flooding.

Police Scotland 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 county.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “(At) around 5.05pm on Thursday October 19 2023, police received a report of a one-vehicle crash in which a tree struck a van on the B9127 at Whigstreet near Forfar.

“Emergency services attended, however, the 56-year-old driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Next of kin have been informed and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.”

The Met Office has issued a new red warning for rain, meaning there is a risk to life, covering parts of eastern Scotland all day on Saturday.

Rescue operations are under way in the Scottish town of Brechin, Angus, after flood defences were breached in the early hours of Friday morning, leading to hundreds of homes being surrounded by water.

The local council has appealed for donations of warm clothes after 40 people turned up to rest centres while “soaked”.

There is also an ongoing helicopter search in Aberdeenshire following a report of a man trapped in a vehicle in floodwater.

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf warned that the further red warning issued by the Met Office would “intensify” the disruption caused by torrential rain from Storm Babet.

Mr Yousaf posted on X, formerly Twitter, regarding the “further red weather warning issued by @metoffice for Saturday”.

He told people this would “intensify the disruption already being experienced”.

Mr Yousaf said the Scottish Government would continue to liaise with local organisations and the emergency services.

“People’s safety is our number one priority,” he stressed.

Further south, the weather was starting to have an impact in the north-east of England.

A lighthouse at the mouth of the River Tyne had also been damaged in Storm Babet, port officials said.

With the ongoing dangerous sea conditions, it was not safe to assess the damage to the lighthouse at South Shields, the Port of Tyne authority said.

No traffic was going in and out of the river with six metres of sea swell, it said.

The public have been urged to keep away from the area, particularly the piers, by the port authority, due to the unsafe weather conditions.

Angus Council confirmed some homes in Monifieth, near Dundee, will be evacuated.

Councillor Lloyd Melville told the PA news agency that he could not confirm numbers affected but urged residents to leave if they are asked to.

Mr Melville said: “It will be hard for some people to leave their homes but they absolutely need to do so if asked.”

He also thanked council staff: “They have been absolutely knocking their pan in (to keep people safe).

“They are the people who need the thanks. They are literally saving people’s lives.”

On Friday, an amber weather warning for rain is in place for some parts of northern England including Yorkshire and Manchester as well as some of the Midlands, including Nottingham.

A yellow weather warning for much of the east coast of the UK was also put in place for wind and rain.

A further yellow weather warning is in place across much of eastern Scotland, northern England and the Midlands for wind and rain.

On Saturday, another red weather warning is in place for parts of Angus and Aberdeenshire and an amber warning for rain in the Scottish borders.