Author Archive

United Kingdom: Battle to stop capture England’s first wild beavers in 500 years

Guardian: Mike Flynn was fly-fishing for brown trout when an unexpected creature hove into view. "We often see otters here – they are lithe, playful things – but this was quite different," said Flynn. "It chugged down the middle of the river a couple of rod-lengths away from me like a tug boat. There was no doubt it was one of the beavers. It took no notice of me; it was an amazing sight." If the government gets its way, the presence of these beavers in a corner of Devon – the first to be sighted in England...

First wild beavers in England for centuries to be captured

Guardian: The future looks gloomy for the first wild group of beavers to be spotted in England for around 500 years after the government revealed it intended to trap the dam-building critters. To the delight of animal lovers, video footage proved the existence of a family of beavers apparently thriving in the River Otter in Devon earlier this year. But the government announced on Monday that it was planning to capture the animals and find a new home for them in a zoo or wildlife park. In a written...

Floods and storms predicted across Britain as weather misery continues

Guardian: The Met Office is warning the weather pattern that has caused flooding across swaths of the UK may continue for the rest of the month as the weekend's storms resulted in 180 more homes being inundated and led to a series of dramatic rescues. Forecasters say this week is likely to be blighted by torrential rain and winds of more than 70mph, while high tides and a heavy Atlantic swell will continue to add to the problems for the next day or so. But, looking further forward, the Met Office said unsettled...

United Kingdom: High tides and strong winds prompt flood warning for 1,000 miles of coast

Guardian: Residents along more than 1,000 miles of the British coastline were warned to expect serious flooding this weekend as high tides coincided with 60mph winds and a heavy Atlantic swell to create a possible storm surge. The Environment Agency issued nine severe flood warnings – meaning danger to life – for the whole of the Cornish coast, parts of Devon and villages on the River Severn in Gloucestershire. Natural Resources Wales said the whole of the Welsh coastline could be hit by storms as bad...

United Kingdom: Military on standby as forecasters warn Somerset to prepare for more flooding

Guardian: Scores of soldiers, Royal Marines and emergency services personnel will be on standby on Friday as the people of the flooded Somerset Levels brace themselves again for more rain, gales and a tidal surge. For the first time since the Levels went under water at the start of the month, military engineers and troops were on the ground on Thursday helping civilian staff plan the response to this weekend's predicted storms. Military vehicles, including Royal Marine amphibious vessels, were made available...

Heavy rain and strong winds prompt UK flood warnings

Guardian: Two spells of very heavy rain and winds of up to 80mph are expected to cause flooding and travel problems in some parts of the UK over the next few days. Up to 7.5cm (3in) of rain is due to drench areas of south-west England, where many rivers and streams are already full because of melting snow and the weeks of soggy weather before the cold snap. Staff at the Environment Agency are particularly concerned that by Tuesday there could be quite serious flooding in Devon, Somerset and parts of south-east...

Floods hit UK, with worse weather on the way

Guardian: Homes were flooded, motorists stranded and travel disrupted as pelting rain combined with melted snow to cause problems across parts of the UK over the weekend – but much more severe weather could be on the way. The worst of the flooding over the weekend was to be found in parts of the south-west of England, the Midlands, East Anglia and Wales, where hundreds of flood warnings and alerts were put in place. However, harder rain, plus some gale force winds, are on the way, raising concerns that...

UK flooding: ‘It felt as if my house had died’

Guardian: The days blur into one for pensioners Les and Sheila Seaton. They get up early, spend the day cleaning, scrubbing, organising and then collapse in front of the television on their borrowed armchairs. "We get to see the first few seconds of the programme, then we fall fast asleep," said Les, a sprightly 79-year-old. "We wake up an hour or two later and go to bed, then it starts over again next morning. It's been hard work but we'll get there in the end." The Seatons are just one of the tens...

Britain braced for more wet and windy weather after flooding

Guardian: A motorist has died after becoming trapped in his car in floodwater and police were searching for a second man feared drowned as Britain braced itself for more wet and windy weather this weekend. Downing Street said 300 properties were mopping up after the deluge and by Friday night the Environment Agency had issued more than 200 flood warnings and alerts. Another 40mm of rain is expected to fall this weekend and gale-force winds were predicted to batter the south of Britain as an area of low...

Flood warnings abound as sodden UK prepares for fresh rain

Guardian: Householders, business people and motorists have been warned to prepare for flooding, gale-force winds and terrible driving conditions as another band of wet weather sweeps across the UK. Up to 60mm (2.35in) of rain is expected to pound down within a few hours on to ground that is already sodden or flooded, and into rivers swollen by the autumn showers. The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for south-west England, the West Midlands, the whole of Wales and a good deal of Scotland, and...