Storm Franklin causes flooding and damage to properties

Strong winds and flooding have caused disruption in parts of Derbyshire.

Temporary flood defences have been installed in Matlock and Matlock Bath, and a house roof was blown off in Derby.

The Environment Agency has issued dozens of flood warnings for the county in the last 24 hours.

Derbyshire Police said Storm Franklin was expected to continue to cause disruption across the county throughout Monday.

Matlock Town Council said there were "devastating" levels of flooding in the town and urged people not to travel or visit during the bad weather.

In a tweet, the leader of Derbyshire County Council asked the government for resources he claims they were promised in 2019 to prevent flooding in towns like Matlock.

Phil Gregory, who is from the nearby village of Darley Dale, also criticised the government for not acting after the 2019 floods.

He told PA News agency: "My heart goes out to the business owners who are still recovering from lockdown measures and the previous flooding a couple of years ago.

"My message to the government is: take action now, stop building on flood plains and help small businesses and homeowners in the long-term with proper flood defences."

The flood warnings in place are mostly on the River Derwent but there are also several warnings for the River Wye.

These include the Wye at Ashford in the Water and in Bakewell.

The agency said the Derwent peaked at Matlock Bath earlier with a flow of 220 tonnes per second - the highest ever measured at that spot.

It added people should expect further warnings for downstream areas of the Derwent.

In Derby, people living in a block of flats next to the river were for a time on standby to leave.

Flood gates next to the council house were closed early this afternoon but the Environment Agency said levels peaked below 2019 levels at around 16:00 GMT.

The A52 near to the Pentagon Island flooded with vehicles on the westbound carriageway reversing out of the underpass.

The Nottingham-bound side also had large quantities of rising surface water and a stranded vehicle had to be removed by recovery lorry.

Standing water continued to cause delays into the rush hour and there were 13 flood alerts across the county at 16:30.

Meanwhile, Derby Rugby Club has been flooded again, with the chairman believing the damage is as bad as it was in 2019.

Martyn Murney said: "We've had a number of incidents of flooding - notably 2019 - so it's not an unfamiliar sight for us.

"It looks to be as worse as we've had before. I don't think we've seen it any higher than this."

The county council said several roads had shut due to flooding.

The A6 is closed at a number of places, including Bakewell Road in Matlock near the Arc Leisure Centre.

Police tweeted the A6 Dale Road, between Artists Corner in Matlock Bath and B5036 in Cromford, was also shut, while a car became stuck in flood water on the A6 near Belper.

Derbyshire Dales District Council has asked motorists not to ignore road closure signs.

Babington Hospital, in Belper, has closed due to flooding with appointments cancelled.

The county council said Parwich Primary School, in Ashbourne, was forced to close on Monday due to "further periods of very strong winds".

And some parks and visitor attractions have also made a decision to close due to Storm Franklin - these include Wollaton Hall and Deer Park in Nottingham and Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire.

Several roads in Leicestershire, that are hotspots for flooding, have also been closed.

These include Crow Mills in South Wigston, Slash Lane and Mountsorrel Lane in Sileby, Broome Lane near Ratcliffe on the Wreake and Rearsby Road near Thrussington.

East Midlands Railway (EMR) has warned customers to expect disruption to services across the network and advised people to consider postponing their journey if possible.

"High winds and heavy rain present a risk of further short notice disruption caused by debris being blown on to the tracks (such as trees) and flooding," it said.

It added it was currently unable to run trains between Derby and Matlock, with replacement transport unavailable due to the road conditions.

"Please do not attempt to travel between Derby and Matlock," it added.

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