More flooding 'likely' to hit UK - as Met Office responds to Storm Bert criticism
More flooding is "likely" to hit the UK this week - after Storm Bert brought torrential rain and major disruption over the weekend.
The Met Office has warned more potentially heavy rain is set to arrive across southern areas of the country alongside colder temperatures on Wednesday.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said its impacts "should be less severe" than they were on Sunday and Monday morning, when Storm Bert struck western parts of England and Wales, as well as Northern Ireland.
As of Tuesday 11am, there are 113 flood warnings in England, including a severe flood warning for the River Nene at Billing Aquadrome and nearby business parks, and six flood warnings in Wales.
There are also 121 flood alerts - where flooding is "possible" rather than "expected" like flood warnings - across England.
It comes as the Met Office has said it is "committed to learning the lessons from Storm Bert" after criticism of its weather forecasts.
The weather service also defended itself, pointing out that "observed rainfall totals were broadly in line with the forecast and the severe weather warnings issued in advance".
Through the end of last week and into the weekend, the storm brought torrential rain and winds over 80mph to parts of the UK.
It brought a month's worth of rain in one weekend to parts of the UK, with the hills of South Wales the worst hit.
At least four people have died since Storm Bert began, leaving communities badly flooded and turning roads into rivers
Storm Bert will slowly "pull away" from the UK on Tuesday, the Met Office said, but the risk of flooding may remain.
It is expected to be largely drier and sunnier - with some showers in Northern Ireland, northern England and on western coasts.
However, on Wednesday, an area of low pressure is set to move into southern parts of the UK bringing back more heavy rain.
Mr Reed told the Commons on Monday evening that an estimated 107 properties have flooded across England.
He added: "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."
'Incompetence'
In the House of Commons, on Monday, ministers were told "incompetence" at the Met Office led to an underestimation of the storm.
Labour MP for Cardiff West Alex Barros-Curtis claimed warnings should have been "amber or red".
He said: "Can I ask that the secretary of state [Environment Secretary Steve Reed] speak to his Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 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."
However, in response to this and other criticism, Met Office services director Simon Brown said rainfall levels were "within the expected range of that forecast".
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He added the warnings in place also highlighted the danger from the floods and outlined how "many factors" play a role in their warning strategy.
Mr Brown continued: "I'm 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."
Extreme weather events like Storm Bert are becoming more common with human-induced climate change, studies show.
Provisional statistics show that White Barrow, in Devon, experienced the most rainfall during Storm Bert with 175.7mm (6.91") between 23 November and midnight 25 November.
Treherbert, Tyn-Y-Waun in South Wales recorded 171.6mm (6.76") at a Natural Resources Wales rain gauge over the same period and winds of 82mph were recorded in Capel Curig, Gwynedd.
