Severe flood warning issued as the UK faces more weather disruptions

By The Associated Press

Caravans and cars sit in the floods of the river Soar in Barrow Upon Soar, England, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Darren Staples)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Darren Staples]

LONDON (AP) — Serious flooding swamped parts of England and snow forced three airports to close temporarily Tuesday as wet and icy weather that was expected to last another day combined to extend travel chaos that has plagued the U.K. since the start of the year.

Swaths of the Midlands in England were under water and more than 200 flood warnings were in place at one point as rivers overflowed and continued to inundate villages and drown farmland.

A severe flood warning indicating life-threatening conditions was issued for the River Soar in Leicestershire where several trailer parks sit on the flood plain. Aerial photos showed mobile homes in Barrow Upon Soar surrounded by muddy waters and a car sunken up to its windows.

Several train lines and major roads were also closed because of wet and icy conditions as snow and ice caused disruptions in northern England and Scotland.

Airport runways in Manchester and Liverpool in northwest England, and Aberdeen in northeast Scotland, had to close for part of the morning while crews cleared snow.

A car sits in the floods of the river Soar in Barrow Upon Soar, England, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Darren Staples)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Darren Staples

Since Monday, dozens of people have been rescued from flooded homes and stranded cars in the Midlands, and hundreds of schools were closed for the first days of classes this year in northern areas of the U.K.

Duaa Abdulal said she was stuck upstairs with her mother and sister in Loughborough, Leicestershire after a repeat event of flooding that damaged the home a year ago.

“Thankfully, today we managed to get everything upstairs when we got the flood warning,” Abdulal said. “We’re still recovering from last year, actually, we haven’t finished refurbishing the house, so it’s stressful.”

Much of Britain has been hit by strong winds and periods of precipitation that struck before New Year’s Day and snuffed out several fireworks displays and other celebrations. Several communities have faced significant flooding since the start of the year.

The body of a man found in a flooded area near the River Aire in northern England was informally identified and North Yorkshire police said they were seeking his family.