Fresh danger-to-life flood warnings have been issued as water levels continued to rise in the wake of Storm Babet, while cleanup operations got under way in some of the worst-hit areas.
Flooding was expected to last for days and two severe flood warnings, signalling danger to life, were later issued for Retford in Nottinghamshire.
Nottinghamshire county council declared a major incident – with about 200 properties evacuated in the town as the River Idle reached record levels.
Severe flood warnings in place on the Idle – and on the River Derwent in Derbyshire – were lifted on Sunday evening, but the Environment Agency warned that flooding would continue along the River Severn into Wednesday.
There have been four confirmed deaths as a result of the storm, and there are fears the number may rise.
The son of an 83-year-old Derbyshire woman who was found dead after her home was hit by flooding said he found his mother “floating in the water”.
Derbyshire police said a pensioner, named by family members as Maureen Gilbert, was found dead at about 10.35am on Saturday after officers, along with colleagues from Derbyshire fire and rescue service and from East Midlands ambulance service, arrived at her property in Tapton Terrace, Chesterfield.
Her son Paul Gilbert told Sky News: “I did not want to find my own mum and I expected somebody else to have found her. I go through so many different stages – anger, upset, I don’t know. I can’t put it into words what it means at the moment.”
Describing the moment he discovered her, he said: “I came to the window behind you, forced it open and found my mum floating in the water.”
On Friday, a man in his 60s died when he was swept away by flood water in Shropshire, the same day a 56-year-old man was killed when a falling tree hit a van near Forfar in Scotland.
Wendy Taylor, 57, who died after being swept into a river in Glen Esk, Angus, on Thursday, was described as “a ray of sunshine for everyone who was fortunate enough to know her” in a family tribute issued through Police Scotland.
“We are absolutely heartbroken to lose Wendy in such tragic circumstances and are still struggling to come to terms with it,” the family said. “Wendy was a beautiful, kind, funny and caring person.”
Police Scotland said they were continuing to search for a driver reported to be trapped in a vehicle in flood water in Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, in the early hours of Friday.
The first minister will visit Brechin on Monday to see where the River South Esk burst its banks and flooded dozens of homes.
Humza Yousaf is expected to meet people affected by the flooding during his visit and thank volunteers, local authority staff and emergency service personnel who played a part in the evacuation.
Respite centres were set up in the town for those forced to leave their homes and people only started returning in large numbers on Sunday to assess the damage done.
The EA said communities should brace for flooding to continue into Wednesday, particularly in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire where some rivers have exceeded record levels seen in 2007.
Across England,1,250 properties have been flooded since the storm took hold on Thursday, with more than 150 flood warnings still in place on Sunday. Scotland and Wales also have several flood warnings in place.
One of the areas hardest hit by Storm Babet was Brechin in Angus, which was only accessible via boat on Saturday, and an evacuation order for the entire town was issued after the South Esk River burst its banks.
On Sunday, residents returned to their homes to find significant damage. “The devastation looks even worse than I thought. It’s just absolutely mind-blowing,” David Stewart, 68, told the PA Media news agency.
When asked why the town’s flood defences had not held up, Jacqui Semple, head of risk, resilience and safety for Angus council, said “we’re in uncharted territory” with regard to the climate and weather impact the area has faced.
Scotland’s justice secretary, Angela Constance, said that although flooding had receded, the impact of the storm “will be felt in communities for some time to come”.
ScotRail said most of its services would run as normal on Sunday but routes would remain closed between Aberdeen and Dundee, and Aberdeen and Elgin.
Network Rail said “residual disruption” was expected across a number of routes on Sunday, mainly affecting eastern Scotland, Yorkshire and East Anglia.
The Energy Networks Association said a “small handful” of homes would still be without power on Sunday after about 100,000 customers initially suffered power cuts.
In Derby, the city council said it had seen record-breaking water levels along the River Derwent and warned that cleaning up after the floods could take several days.
The Museum of Making, situated on a Unesco world heritage site on the banks of the Derwent in Derby, said it was exposed to substantial flood damage that was likely to lead to significant loss of income, as it called for donations to help its recovery.
