Mini-tornado sends trampoline flying and clothes up into the sky in flood-hit town --[Reported by Umva mag]

A hardy measure of how violent a storm is in the UK is the humble trampoline.

And the star of this storm is this one which was sucked up into the sky along with the contents of someone’s clothes line in Luton.

Footage shows a trampoline whizzing through the air after it was ripped off the ground by strong winds along with clothes and debris yesterday.

Elsewhere in the Bedfordshire town, drivers watched on in shock as storm winds turned into a mini-tornado, spinning just yards away from the motorway.

It came just hours before heavy rain battered the UK. The Met Office warned that some areas could get 120mm of rain ‘or more’ today alone – more than double the average for the whole month in Oxford.

In one area, flooding of property was yesterday said to be ‘imminent’, with the government warning people to ‘move possessions and valuables off the ground or to safety and move family, pets and cars to safety’.

The maps below show areas where people need to take particular care, with risk of lightning, power cuts, travel cancellations, difficult driving conditions, road closures and damage to buildings all possible, as well as entire villages being waterlogged.

Flood warnings have also been issued for 13 areas in England by the Environment Agency, meaning flooding is expected at these locations. Another 76 sites have been flagged for potential flooding.

The road and rail network has struggled with severe weather this morning. It also caused severe delays on the London Underground, with several lines still blocked due to flooding, while a carriageway in Bedfordshire turned into a mini lake after heavy rain.

Dramatic footage shows a giant sinkhole on a football pitch in Wimbledon following the downpours. It appeared at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, AFC Wimbledon’s home ground today.

Motorists were seen driving through the waterlogged high street in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, after overnight flooding.

In Hitchin, North Hertfordshire, residents waded through flood water after it reached doorsteps along Woolgrove Road near River Purwell. The underpass of a railway bridge was also flooded.

Several schools have reportedly closed due to flooding, including in Gloucestershire, Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire.

If you live in the below areas covered by the amber alert, it’s time to quickly get your flood plan in place.

These are the areas on amber alert for rain from 8am until 9pm today: Northamptonshire, Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Luton, Bracknell Forest, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Reading, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire.

The area where people were warned to immediately move their families, cars, and possessions to safety is the vicinity of the Grace Dieu Brook including the junction on Ashby Road and Snarrow’s Road, in Leicestershire.

‘River levels are rising at the Whitwick downstream river gauge as a result of localised thunderstorms,’ the government’s flood alert service said. ‘Consequently, flooding of property is imminent. Areas most at risk are Whitwick and Thringstone.

Where flooding is expected

More than a dozen of locations are at risk of imminent flooding after red flood warnings.

Here are all the locations where the Environment Agency’s red flood warnings are in place.

• Chaffinch Brook and St James Stream at Elmers End
• Grendon Brook catchment including Yardley Hastings, Denton, Bozeat, Easton Maudit and Grendon
• Kidbrooke Stream at Forest Row
• Low lying areas close to Clipstone Brook at Leighton Buzzard
• River Anker at Mancetter, Witherley and Atherstone
• River Ivel at Langford
• River Lee at Luton
• River Ouzel at Leighton Buzzard, Stoke Hammond and Great Brickhill
• River Wandle at Wimbledon
• Saredon Brook at Wedges Mills, Cannock
• The Eastwood Brook and Prittlewell Brook in the Southend area
• Wider area at risk from Clipstone Brook at Leighton Buzzard
• Yeading Brook East at South Ruislip

‘Further heavy rainfall is forecast over the next 48 hours. We expect river levels to remain high until September 24. We are closely monitoring the situation.

‘Please move possessions and valuables off the ground or to safety and move family, pets and cars to safety.’

People were also warned to take action at Saredon Brook at Wedges Mills, Cannock, near Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, where flood risk is particularly high.

Amber weather warnings are more serious, and more rare, than yellow warnings which appear fairly regularly, and the second highest alert level after red.

The last time central England was affected by one for storms was over a year ago, on June 12, 2023, when the West Midlands, Gloucestershire, and Buckinghamshire were among the areas told to prepare for thunderstorms.

It comes after Sunday was already torrential for many parts of the UK, as Storm Boris approaches having wreaked havoc further south in Europe already, causing major floods.

One home in Stoke-on-Trent was reportedly struck by lightning, with neighbours evacuated and police cordoning off part of their street.

The Environment Agency issued flood warnings for large parts of England, including an orange ‘medium’ risk covering much of the central region relating to both river and surface water flooding.

It said: ‘It’s likely that runoff from rainfall or blocked drains will cause properties and roads to flood. If this happens, your life might be in danger.

‘It’s possible but not expected that overflowing rivers will cause properties and roads to flood.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

The following news has been carefully analyzed, curated, and compiled by Umva Mag from a diverse range of people, sources, and reputable platforms. Our editorial team strives to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information we provide. By combining insights from multiple perspectives, we aim to offer a well-rounded and comprehensive understanding of the events and stories that shape our world. Umva Mag values transparency, accountability, and journalistic integrity, ensuring that each piece of content is delivered with the utmost professionalism.