Man who found mum’s body ‘floating’ after she died in Storm Babet speaks out
A fourth person has died because of the devastation caused by Storm Babet, with 83-year-old Maureen Gilbert named after being found dead in her home in Tapton Terrace, Chesterfield.
Some areas had been evacuated and there were severe weather warnings across the country over the weekend as the storm unfolded.
Parts of Scotland were hit especially badly, with a 57-year-old woman dying after she was swept into a river and a 56-year-old van driver being killed after a tree struck his vehicle.
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A man in his 60s also died after being caught in fast-flowing floodwater in Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire.
And a fourth person, 83-year-old Maureen Gilbert, was found dead in her Chesterfield home on Saturday (21 October) morning by her son.
Paul Gilbert told Sky News he'd found her 'floating in the water' in her home which had been fitted with flood defences.
He said: "I thought I had done enough with the flood defences, that are nearly four foot high, that she would be all right.
"I did not want to find my own mum and I expected somebody else to have found her.
"I go through so many different stages, anger, upset, I don’t know. I can’t put it into words what it means at the moment."
Neighbours of Gilbert said that while there had been flood defences at her house, which were four feet high, 'within minutes' of the nearby River Rother bursting its banks their homes had been flooded with five feet of water.
Storm Babet had prompted warnings of a 'danger to life' from the Met Office, and spokesperson Dave Britton has said we could new see 'a couple of quieter days'.
Britton told PA more settled weather today could help areas affected by the storm recover.
He said: "There is this pulse of rain moving its way north overnight later on Monday and into Tuesday, but the rest of the week does look like it remains rather unsettled with spells of rain at times."
Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has said there could be more flooding in the coming days, with heavy rain a factor, particularly along the River Severn.
River flooding 'will continue into Wednesday' (25 October) and heavy rain over the next two days may make further flooding 'possible'.
Up in the town of Brechin in Scotland residents returning to their homes have been attempting to dry out the damage done by floodwater.
A search is underway in Aberdeenshire after reports of a man trapped in his car by floodwater.
Joe Harker