Storm Dennis: Body found in search for woman missing in floods

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Yvonne pictured with her late husband and her son.Image source, West Mercia Police
Image caption,

Yvonne Booth pictured with her late husband and her son

A body has been found in the search for a woman who went missing in floods after her car got stuck in water.

Police said Yvonne Booth, 55, was swept into floodwater near a bridge which crosses the River Teme, near Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, on Sunday.

Her family said they were "devastated" and "appreciate the continued support from the emergency services".

Hundreds of flood warnings remain in place, external, including several severe warnings meaning a danger to life.

Ch Supt Tom Harding said the body of Ms Booth, from Great Barr near Birmingham, was found during a search and rescue operation in Tenbury.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called to reports of two people being swept into the water near Eastham Bridge.

A man who was rescued close to where Ms Booth disappeared was airlifted to hospital and remains in a stable condition.

West Mercia Police Assistant Chief Constable Geoff Wessell said the man and woman "stopped and got out of the car because of the water and then got caught up into more of a stream of water that took them away".

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Rescue teams were searching the area around Tenbury Wells for Ms Booth

Storm Dennis has left more than 400 properties flooded, with about 270 of those in the West Midlands, the Environment Agency (EA) said.

Among the worst affected areas are Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire, where major incidents were declared.

Worcestershire has borne the brunt of the flooding with about 200 homes affected, according to figures from the agency's John Curtin., external

West Mercia Police said residents in Upton upon Severn and Uckinghall in Worcestershire were being advised to evacuate, with water levels expected to rise on Monday evening.

Media caption,

Storm Dennis flooding as seen from the air in Hereford

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Rescuers used boats to ferry residents to safety in Hereford

Emergency evacuations were also under way in Hereford, where the River Wye reached its highest level on record.

Herefordshire Police tweeted, external that officers were carrying out emergency evacuations to a leisure centre.

Families rescued from flooded properties could be seen disembarking from evacuation dinghies with their pets and belongings.

In Shropshire, 16 roads have been closed due to flooding.

Telford and Wrekin Council said it had handed out 2,000 sandbags to residents in the Ironbridge Gorge.

Image source, Drayton Manor Theme Park
Image caption,

Staff are "working hard to repair the damage caused" by flooding at Drayton Manor Theme Park, it said

After a severe flood warning was put in place for Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire residents were advised to have a bag ready with vital items like medicines and insurance documents and call 999 if in immediate danger.

The A38 in Branston, near Burton, was closed in both directions on Monday night due to flooding.

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Elsewhere in the county, Drayton Manor Theme Park, near Tamworth, is set to be closed until at least Thursday due to flooding.

Image source, Telford & Wrekin Council
Image caption,

Flood barriers are up in Ironbridge

Thousands of sandbags were distributed in York where the River Ouse continued to rise, although the EA said the situation in the city was an "improving one".

Elsewhere, about 60 homes flooded in Lowdham in Nottinghamshire.

Residents of park homes on the River Stour near Christchurch, Dorset, were also told to leave as water levels continue to rise.

A record number of flood warnings and alerts - more than 600 - were issued by the EA across England on Sunday, falling to below 500 on Monday afternoon.

Image caption,

About 130 homes in Tenbury were evacuated overnight on Sunday

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