Rescuers risk their lives to save people who refused to evacuate in Storm Babet | UK News

Rescuers had to go door-to-door convincing some residents in Brechin, Angus, who ignored Storm Babet evacuation warnings to leave their homes.

It came as a 57-year-old woman died after being swept into a river amid gale-force winds and flooding in the region.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) issued a warning that river levels could reach an ‘unprecedented’ five metres above normal levels, and severe flood warnings were expanded for the River Esk, including into Aberdeenshire.

Sepa added the villages of Logie Mill and Craigo to places at risk of severe flooding in Angus, as well as Brechin and nearby Finavon and Tannadice, while the village of Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, was put on high alert.

Angus experienced the highest rainfall in the UK on Thursday, according to data from Sepa.

The Met Office revealed that Waterside Perth in East Grampian recorded 123.6mm over the previous 24 hours, followed by Invermark – which had 107mm.

More than 20,000 homes in Scotland lost power, according to Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), predominantly in Aberdeenshire and Angus.

By 9pm, SSEN said it had restored services to almost 18,500 homes.

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