Storm Dennis: Woman found dead after being swept away in flood water
A woman has been found dead after being swept away by floods during Storm Dennis, police have confirmed.
Yvonne Booth, a 55-year-old woman from the Great Barr area of Birmingham, went missing near Tenbury in Worcestershire on Sunday.
West Mercia Police found her body on Monday following a recovery search of the area.
"Yvonne is a very much loved member of our family and we are all devastated by this news," Ms Booth's family said in a statement released by police.
"We appreciate the continued support from the emergency services. We would like to ask for our privacy at this time."
Earlier on Monday, Chief Superintendent Tom Harding said a search and rescue operation was called off on Sunday night “for safety reasons and with a heavy heart” after emergency services had spent the day looking for the missing person.
He said the conditions had become “extremely challenging due to darkness and fast flowing flood water”.
“The search has continued this morning, including the use of the police helicopter,” he said on Monday.
“Due to the circumstances of the length of time in the water and other conditions, we believe that this will now be a recovery rather than rescue operation.”
Police also said a man was recovered from the water as a result of the same incident.
He was airlifted to hospital and is in a stable condition, Mr Harding said.
Storm Dennis flooded parts of the UK over the weekend, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes.
Major incidents were declared in South Wales, Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire as police dealt with landslides and overflowing rivers.
The Environment Agency issued more than 600 flood warnings on Sunday - the highest number of warnings for one day on record.
Winds of more than 90mph were recorded during the UK's second blustery weekend in a row, while more than a month's worth of rain fell in 48 hours in places.
Additional reporting by PA
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