Two road bridges 'washed away' after life-threatening downpours continue

Watch: Floodwaters stream across park in Northern England heavy rain hits UK

Heavy rain continued to cause chaos on Friday as two road bridges were "washed away" in the deluge.

Rivers burst their banks in the north of England, and in Scotland a rail line was closed after trains were left unable to pass over a viaduct.

It comes after the Met Office had warned of flooding in Cumbria and Scotland as a month's worth of rain was set to fall in 24 hours.

Network Rail Scotland tweeted: "Two road bridges have been washed away on the river Annan, north of the railway.

"We’re unable to allow trains to pass over the Annan Viaduct pending a daylight safety inspection. The line between Dumfries and Carlisle will remain closed until further notice."

⚠️ Two road bridges have been washed away on the river Annan, north of the railway. We're unable to allow trains to pass over the Annan Viaduct pending a daylight safety inspection. The line between Dumfries and Carlisle will remain closed until further notice. @ScotRail
— Network Rail Scotland (@NetworkRailSCOT) October 28, 2021

HAWICK, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 28: Trees are seen submerged in the River Teviot on October 28, 2021 in Hawick, Scotland. A major incident was declared earlier after sustained heavy rain caused the River Teviot to swell and threaten to flood. Around 500 homes are thought to be affected if the town floods and residents have been evacuated. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images) — A major incident was declared earlier in Scotland after sustained heavy rain caused the River Teviot to swell and threaten to flood the town of Harwick. (Getty) (Peter Summers via Getty Images)

It come as a major incident was declared in Hawick in the Scottish Borders with up to 500 properties feared to be at risk of flooding.

An evacuation of homes was halted after the River Teviot reached a peak of 2.9m and was expected to recede.

Read more: Archaeologists on HS2 route uncover 'astounding' Roman sculptures

Schools and a health centre in the town were closed earlier along with schools in Peebles which was also hit by flooding as the River Tweed burst its banks.

A minor landslide also blocked the B725 road around six miles from Dumfries and as police warned of large areas of flooding on that road from Dumfries to Glencaple.

High water levels in Cockermouth, Cumbria, where the Met office has warned of life-threatening flooding and issued amber weather warnings as the area was lashed with — Cockermouth, Cumbria, where the Met office warned of life-threatening flooding and issued amber weather warnings as the area was lashed with "persistent and heavy rain". (PA) (PA)

Weather storm — Weather storm (Press Association Images)

Weather warnings of heavy rain remained in force across southern Scotland and northern England, including an amber alert for Cumbria which warns of "danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater".

Dramatic images showed fast-flowing water rushing over a pedestrian bridge in Cockermouth as water levels continued to rise following the torrential rain.

An amber warning of heavy rain for Cumbria in north-west England was in force until 11.59pm on Thursday while a yellow warning of rain, which also includes Yorkshire and Humber, was in force from midnight until 3pm on Friday.

A yellow warning of rain for south-west England applies from 3pm on Thursday until 9am on Friday while one is already in force in Wales and lasts until 3pm on Friday.

Cumbria Police warned some roads may be impassable, while at around 6am on Thursday South Lakes police tweeted the A591 Rydal to Grasmere road was not passable “due to the depth of flood waters in several locations” and urged people not to take unnecessary risks and only to travel if they really need to.

HAWICK, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 28: The River Teviot is seen flowing high on October 28, 2021 in Hawick, Scotland. A major incident was declared earlier after sustained heavy rain caused the River Teviot to swell and threaten to flood. Around 500 homes are thought to be affected if the town floods and residents have been evacuated. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images) — The major incident in Harwick was later stood down as water levels on the River Teviot started to recede. (Getty) (Peter Summers via Getty Images)

High water levels in Cockermouth, Cumbria, where the Met office has warned of life-threatening flooding and issued amber weather warnings as the area was lashed with — Up to 300mm is expected to fall in parts of Cumbria, which typically sees an average of 160mm in October. (PA) (PA)

The Met Office tweeted on Thursday evening 370mm of rain had been recorded at Honister Pass in Cumbria between 1am on Wednesday and 6pm on Thursday.

It reported 132mm of rain at Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway in the same period.

The Met Office has predicted persistent and heavy rain on Friday which could become drier by the afternoon with a risk still on heavy showers.

Yahoo News

In Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) issued 20 flood warnings and five flood alerts mainly covering southern Scotland, while in England 16 flood alerts and nine flood warnings are in place in the North West.

Scotland’s transport minister Graeme Dey said: “The conditions could potentially bring disruption to the trunk road and rail networks, so it’s important people plan their journeys before they set off.

“Motorists should make sure their routes are available, follow travel advice from Police Scotland and drive to the conditions.”

He added: “If you are planning to travel by rail, please check with your operator ahead of your journey.

“This is particularly important for cross-border travellers following the earlier disruption to services.”

Watch: Could astrologers have predicted the pandemic?

Advertisement