LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The British army was drafted in on Saturday as Storm Dennis descended on the country, with high winds and heavy rain threatening travel chaos and widespread flooding.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) deployed troops in West Yorkshire, northern England, which was suffered badly from flooding caused by last weekend’s Storm Ciara.
“Our armed forces are always ready to support local authorities and communities whenever they need it,” said defence minister Ben Wallace.
British Airways and easyJet confirmed they had grounded flights, while two bodies were pulled from rough seas off the south England coast on Saturday as the storm barrelled in.
One of the men is assumed to have been the subject of a search triggered when an LPG tanker reported that one of its crew was unaccounted for.
He had been last seen several hours previously.
Winds of over 90miles per hour (145 kph) and waves of up to 30 metres had been forecast over the North Atlantic early Saturday.
The national Met Office has issued eight weather warnings, across the country, saying the “main areas of concern” were north and south-west England and Wales on Saturday, and the south east on Sunday.
© Agence France-Presse
