Flooding is again the top story on BBC, Sky and ITV this morning as parts of Cumbria and western Scotland prepare for Storm Frank. There are four severe weather warnings in place among 88 warnings across the UK.
Flooding
There is continued coverage of the floods in today’s papers. The Times and The Guardian report that two historic bridges collapsed into swollen rivers in Yorkshire yesterday and soldiers were drafted in to evacuate homes as the misery caused by floods across the north continued. The Mirror writes that the Army escorted people to a school in the village of Tadcaster, in North Yorkshire, which was set up as a rescue centre amid fears of a gas blast following the bridge collapse and concerns about more flooding endangering life.
An article about the clean-up in The Telegraph claims that wounded ex-servicemen are among those travelling hundreds of miles to assist with the relief effort in Yorkshire. The article says that approximately 20 former servicemen had travelled up to 300 miles yesterday to help in the relief effort in Tadcaster. It says the veterans rapidly set up a distribution centre for donated goods using organisational skills learned in the Army and on tours of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the majority of the papers also report that Northern England is bracing itself for further torrential rain and gale force winds, as the Environment Agency warns there is the potential for further significant flooding today, particularly in Cumbria. The Independent carries a picture of soldiers from 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, in the centre of York yesterday as Storm Frank heads for Britain.
RAF pilots
The Times reports that the RAF is set to reduce the initial officer training course from 33 weeks to 24 to speed up recruitment amid a shortage of fast jet pilots. According to the paper, the proposal provokes concerns about a ‘dumbing down’ of the service at a time when pilots are operating increasingly sophisticated aircraft. The article quotes an RAF source involved in training but notes the proposal is still being considered.
An RAF spokesperson said:
A range of options are being considered to maximise the effectiveness of Commissioned Officer training in the Royal Air Force whilst accommodating greater course capacity and exploiting up-to-date training methods.
Hercules contract
The Telegraph cover the news that a major contract to maintain the RAF’s fleet of US-made Hercules aircraft has been awarded to three British companies, safeguarding 1,200 jobs. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon is quoted in the paper saying: “This contract is further evidence of what the growing defence budget, with £178bn of investment in equipment, means for the UK. It will ensure essential RAF transport aircraft are prepared for operations for years.”
US Daesh strike
It is widely reported today – including in The Guardian, Independent, Telegraph and The Times – that the US claims to have killed an Isil leader linked to the Paris attacks in an airstrike. Reports say that Pentagon spokesman Col Steve Warren says a Christmas Eve drone operation killed Charaffe al-Mouadan, who he says had a direct link to the Paris attacks cell leader, Abdelhamid Abaaoud. There is no mention of British involvement, but the articles note that Britain is thought to have killed its first Daesh militants since beginning air strikes in Syria earlier this month, after destroying one of the group’s checkpoints near Raqqa using a Hellfire missile on Christmas Day.
Rolls-Royce
The FT reports that MPs are to meet Warren East to discuss his restructuring plans for Rolls-Royce.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to sign up for email alerts.