Met Office says it will learn lessons from Storm Bert after criticism over its incompetent warnings as 300 flood alerts stay in place after wild weather

The Met Office has insisted it will learn lessons from Storm Bert after criticism over its incompetence that led to a clear underestimation of the devastating impact.

Hundreds of homes were left underwater and roads turned into rivers after the UK was hit by up to seven inches of rain, heavy snow and 82mph winds at the weekend.

Torrential downpours caused widespread flooding with nearly 300 warnings or alerts still in place across Britain this morning as major rail disruption continued.

Great Western Railway faced the biggest disruption with customers advised not to travel between Exeter, Okehampton and Barnstaple today. Major issues were also reported in the Northampton area, and around Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales.

The Met Office has been accused of letting down the public with Labour MP for Cardiff West, Alex Barros-Curtis, saying warnings should have been amber or red.

But Met Office services director Simon Brown insisted observed rainfall totals were broadly in line with the forecast and the severe weather warnings issued in advance.

He said 50 weather warnings were issued last week, but added: Im committed to learning the lessons from Storm Bert to support even greater preparedness.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said more flooding is likely this week although the impacts should be less severe than they were on Sunday and yesterday.

Rob Scholes, 75, walks through floodwater after an apparent mudslide at Cwmtillery in Wales

The River Avon burst its banks and flooded nearby properties in Bradford-on-Avon yesterday

Hundreds of areas were still on flood watch today, with 137 alerts and 132 warnings in England

Communities today continued a massive clean-up, with residents in some affected areas having said they do not believe the chaos will by cleared by Christmas.

Hundreds of areas were still on flood watch, with 137 alerts and 132 warnings in England; 15 alerts and six warnings in Wales; and two alerts and two warnings in Scotland.

A danger to life severe flood warning was also still in place at Billing Aquadrome holiday park and the surrounding parks next to the River Nene in Northampton.

In the Commons yesterday, Mr Barros-Curtis asked: Can I ask that the Secretary of State speak to his Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) colleagues to carefully look into the role of the Met Office here?

It is clear that their response was slow and that there was a clear underestimation of the impact of Storm Bert.

They put it yellow rather than amber or red. Our constituents have been let down by this incompetence before, and it cannot keep happening.

Mr Reed said: In most parts of the countries that were affected, warnings were given with adequate time for people to prepare and I would encourage people to sign up on the Defra website, or the Environment Agency website for warnings and alerts if they live in an area that could be affected by flooding.

Im aware of the particular concern that he mentions regarding the Met Office, and I will indeed be speaking to colleagues in DSIT as they review the circumstances of that and look at how the situation can be improved for future events of this kind.

A statement from Mr Brown issued yesterday acknowledged that the level of disruption has led to criticism of the weather forecast in some circles, adding; At the Met Office our purpose is to help keep people and their property safe and we always strive to achieve this.

He continued: We worked with partners over three days ahead of the storm and rainfall levels were within the expected range of that forecast.

Warnings in place highlighted the potential for homes and businesses to flood with fast flowing or deep floodwater possible, causing a danger to life.

Mr Brown said observed rainfall totals were broadly in line with the forecast and the severe weather warnings issued in advance.

The Met Offices provisional statistics show White Barrow in Devon saw the highest rainfall accumulation, with 175.7mm (6.9in) between midnight on November 23 and midnight yesterday.

Treherbert in South Wales recorded 171.6mm (6.8in) at a Natural Resources Wales rain gauge over the same period, while the strongest wind recorded was 82mph at Capel Curig in North Wales.

Mr Brown added: Met Office staff have been working 24/7 to provide forecasts, warnings and information for the public, emergency responders and local and national government.

Just under 50 national severe weather warnings were issued over the course of last week, including those related to Storm Bert. These were communicated widely, both publicly and in briefings, to help inform decision making and responses.

I am proud to lead a team of dedicated professionals, and I thank them and our partners and the responder community for the dedication shown in preparing and responding to Storm Bert.

I recognise many of those in communities are volunteers and they are making the difference as the communities impacted now start to recover from the impacts seen.

He added that many factors are involved in the Met Offices warning strategy, including how flood models influence the assessed flood risk, which is why we work with devolved agencies when appropriate, including Natural Resources Wales, to understand river responses to forecast rainfall and in part determine the level of warning.

And Mr Brown insisted: Im committed to learning the lessons from Storm Bert to support even greater preparedness and we will be reviewing our warning strategy and how this linked to flood models in the coming weeks and days.

Today my team and I have been working with stakeholder, partners and customers to start to review Storm Bert.

At least five lives were claimed by the storm, including a man in his 80s who died after his car entered water at a ford in Colne, Lancashire, on Saturday.

A body was found in the search for Brian Perry, 75, who went missing while walking his dog near the Afon Conwy river in North Wales on the same day.

During his update to the House yesterday, Mr Reed said that more flooding this week is likely but its impact should be less severe than has been seen.

He said: Around 28,000 properties are being protected by Environment Agency flood defences.

Water levels rise on the River Ouse in York yesterday after Storm Bert affected much of the UK

A danger to life severe flood warning is still in place at Billing Aquadrome in Northampton

Unfortunately, an estimated 107 properties have flooded across England, principally from river and surface water flooding.

He added: The Environment Agency and local responders have also been busy protecting properties elsewhere in England, including flooding from the River Teme in Tenbury Wells where around 40 properties have flooded.

The river has now peaked and local responders will be focusing on the lower reaches of rivers over the next few days.

He further stated: Further flooding is sadly likely over the next few days as water levels rise in slower flowing rivers such as the Severn and the Ouse.

The Environment Agency anticipates that any impacts should be less severe than we have seen in recent days.

Mr Reed also described the flood defences they inherited from the previous government as being in the worst condition on record following years of underinvestment.

He added: Over 3,000 of our key flood defences are below an acceptable standard. That is why we are investing £2.4billion over the next two years to build and maintain flood defences.

Elsewhere in the session, Labour MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, was among the MPs to call for a legal duty on fire services to respond to flooding.

She said: I want to express my solidarity and thanks to all of our emergency services, including firefighters on the front line.

Extreme weather events are on the rise and becoming ever more frequent due to climate change, highlighting the urgent need for proper funding and resources.

England is the only part of the UK without a statutory duty for flooding, leaving fire services underfunded and under-resourced to respond effectively. This must change, as the FBU (Fire Brigades Union) has long called for.

When will the Government finally provide a statutory duty for Fire and Rescue authorities to respond to flooding incidents in England?

Mr Reed replied: The fire and rescue authorities have the powers to intervene, but shes quite right to point out theres not a duty, and officials in my department, working with the Home Office, will review that to see that that remains appropriate.

Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire Greg Smith said some communities in his constituency are flooding for the first time in decades as he accused the Government of wanting to concrete over the countryside.

He said: That is a result of some of the big infrastructure we are seeing being built, particularly HS2 where they will concrete over a field completely, it seems, unaware that that will have a knock-on effect to farmland next door.

So will the Secretary of State commit to working with the Transport Secretary (Louise Haigh) and I also suggest the Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) given their plans to concrete over the countryside to ensure that where construction takes place proper, and I really mean proper, flood mitigation measures are put into place.

Mr Reed replied: This needs to operate across Government, and we will have those conversations and ensure that measures are put in place to support communities as much as is possible from the more severe weather events that were seeing as a result of climate change.

People waded through deep water yesterday to escape the flooding, holding carrier bags containing their belongings.

Stan Brown, 67, who has lived on the Billing Aquadrome park for 25 years, said he has had enough and felt he had no choice but to move away.

He said: Ive got somewhere else to go but Im one of the few. Other people have spent their life savings to buy a place on there, and now theyve got nowhere else to go.

Cwmtillery, a former mining community in South Wales, suffered an apparent landslip during the storm on Sunday, with many people asked to leave their homes overnight after mud and water came up to just below their windows.

Luc Robertson, who lives in Woodland Terrace in the village, said: We just didnt expect it, we havent prepared for it or anything, but obviously just glad that nobodys injured.

All the debris, thats whats caused the carnage, its going to be a massive clean-up, she added.

Rob Scholes, 75, who went back to check the damage to his house yesterday after being moved out, said: My neighbour phoned and said dont open your front door, so I didnt and we just watched it come up.

To be honest, I really dont think were going to get this cleared up by Christmas, he added.

Welsh Water has issued a boil water notice to customers in ten areas in South Wales, advising that their tap water may be contaminated because of flooding and must be boiled until further notice.

A major incident was declared in the Rhondda Cynon Taf region on Sunday after between 200 and 300 properties were affected by flooding.

In a statement yesterday, Natural Resources Wales said it had issued flood warnings before the downpour but there was no silver bullet to managing the flood risk.

Fire crews rescued 57 children and one adult from school bus after it became stranded in flood water on Eckington Bridge in Worcestershire yesterday.

Meanwhile West Mercia Police are investigating after a tractor driver ploughed along a high street through flood water left by the storm, appearing to smash shop windows in its wake.

Footage emerged on Sunday of the large green vehicle creating waves so powerful they were said to shatter panes of glass.

Residents of Tenbury Wells reacted furiously to the footage on social media, after owners had battled to keep the waters out of their shops but had their hard work wiped out in an instant.

Some said they wouldnt have been badly affected but for the waves, while others said they had made things worse. One person said the driver had bankrupted Tenbury.

Waterlogged sports courts in Ynysangharad Park near the River Taff in Pontypridd yesterday

Like many places across the country, the Worcestershire town was submerged over the weekend, after the nearby Kyre Brook overflowed due to heavy rain.

Louise Preston, 20, who co-owns pottery shop Pitter Potter in the town, said it had been heart-warming to see the community spirit in the clean up efforts.

She said the business had lost a window, adding: Weve had police support officers down, the firemen were marvellous yesterday, Tesco has been giving people free cleaning materials.

The cafes, who themselves have suffered, have been donating free tea and coffee to everybody.

About 350,000 homes in England lost power during the storm, though most have since been reconnected.