A tractor that caused a “devastating” wave in a flooded UK town is being investigated by police.

In Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, a tractor drove through a flooded high street, causing a wave of water to strike nearby businesses, smashing windows and forcing doors open. Police are looking into the incident.

Police in West Mercia reported that they were looking into videos that appeared on social media in which the tractor was seen going through floodwaters on Sunday.

According to some Markettown shop owners, if it weren’t for the water-smashing windows and doors that kept the waters out, they wouldn’t have been severely impacted by the flooding. Others reported the wave made the damage worse even though they had already been flooded.

The water beat sandbags across the room as the pub’s locked front doors were forced open and destroyed, as were the windows beside it. When a wall containing the floodwaters crumbled and the Kyre Brook swelled, the major street through Tenbury Wells was flooded for several feet.

Co-owners Stephanie Hopkins and Nick Harrold of the beauty company Eternally Ageless Aesthetics stood in a destroyed store, assessing the damage. Flood water had poured through the shop’s back wall when it collapsed, and additional water got in through the front entrance after the tractor smashed it in.

“Look at the damage it has caused—they’re the lowest person in Tenbury right now,” Harrold added, pointing to a broken lock on the doorframe. The impact of the tidal wave is what caused that damage, not flood damage, is it? All the defense obstacles were swept away.

It’s simply destruction, and the company may be going out of business. Because insurance was so expensive, we were unable to obtain it. And to set it up, we used our funds to pay £15,000.

“We simply lack the funds to reinvest in the company,” Hopkins remarked while looking at pictures of the spotless store they had opened eighteen months prior.

Storm Bert strikes the UK, causing “devastating” flooding that claims at least five lives.

Power outages caused by wind, rain, and floods have caused a major incident in Wales, England, and Scotland. A significant incident has been reported in South Wales as Storm Bert slammed the United Kingdom. Since the storm struck, at least five fatalities have been reported in Wales and England. Flooding brought on by heavy rain and thawing snow has coincided with strong winds.

The weather has delayed or canceled flights and train services and caused thousands of homes to lose electricity. In a post on X, Keir Starmer expressed gratitude to emergency personnel and claimed to have spoken with Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan.

A search for 75-year-old Brian Perry, who vanished in the River Conwy in north Wales the day before, turned up a body on Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Hampshire police reported that a man in his 60s passed away after a tree fell on a car on the A34 close to Winchester.

On Saturday afternoon, a man in his 80s was saved from a car that had collided with a Ford and died in the hospital. Also pulled from the vehicle and transported to the hospital was an 80-year-old woman. The force stated that her condition was not life-threatening. According to West Yorkshire police, early on Saturday morning, a 34-year-old man lost his life in a single-vehicle incident. Whether the incident had anything to do with Storm Bert was unknown, however, it is understood the road was not icy. 

The Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough council in south Wales issued an emergency declaration as floodwaters swelled in communities such as Pontypridd, Ebbw Vale, and Aberdare.

In Pontypridd, the River Taff overflowed its banks, flooding houses and forcing the closure of local businesses.

To pump the water off the street, firemen had to use buckets to bail out the residents’ front yards. Rhondda and Ogmore Labour MP Chris Bryant claimed to have never witnessed the extent of the floods in the region. November has seen 80% of its rainfall due to Storm Bert. Capel Curig in North Wales received up to 64.4 mm (2.53 in) of rain in 12 hours on Saturday, and the village experienced wind gusts of up to 82 mph (132 km/h).

According to the North Wales Fire and Rescue Department, five adults and five children were rescued after a landslide at Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, North Wales.

Over 200 flood warnings have been issued for Scotland, Wales, and England for the night of Sunday. The two most serious flood warnings are in effect for south-east Wales’ Monmouthshire areas. Sunday was supposed to see South Wales’ yellow rain warnings lifting. Part of Scotland is under a yellow wind warning till Monday at 10 a.m.