Storm Babet: Piggyback rescue for 82-year-old stranded by flood

An 82-year-old was rescued from his home after floods hit Trevalyn, Wrexham county, on Sunday.

Harry Smith hitched a piggyback ride with his niece's partner after his ground floor was flooded with four inches of water.

The nearby River Alyn has seen record water levels since Storm Babet first hit early on Friday.

Mr Smith said the area had always flooded but it was the first time since flood defences were built 20 years ago that water had come inside properties, and he claimed the defences were not used properly.

NRW said it was looking into why certain flood mitigation measures were not put in place.

A couple with a baby also had to be rescued.

"I am absolutely fuming," Mr Smith said.

"You can't stop everything, but you can prevent a lot. [On other occasions] they were always down here straight away when they got a warning with pumps and the barriers."

Iwan Williams, operations manager for NRW, said: "A severe flood warning was put in place in Llandrinio, Powys along with additional flood warnings and alerts, demonstrating the huge amount of rainfall that fell in north and mid Wales over a relatively small amount of time.

"Our staff have been working extended shifts to minimise the effects of the storm where possible and we are looking into why certain flood mitigation measures were not put in place."