Wales has BANNED the sale of books and other "non-essential" items

 The lockdown in Wales is ‘psychotic and absolutely deranged’

The most “perverse” factor of Wales’ newly imposed “psychotic” lockdowns is how all non-essential supermarket items have been taped off, on the orders of the Welsh government, according to Spiked Online editor Brendan O’Neill. Wales has entered a 17-day lockdown in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19 which includes closing all borders in and out of the country, and closing all non-essential services. The government has also ordered supermarkets tape off non-essential items such as books, birthday cards and clothing. “They’ve decreed – in their infinite wisdom the government of Wales – that these are non-essential items,” Mr O’Neil told Sky News. “We’ve now reached a situation where bureaucrats are dictating to the people what is essential and what is non-essential. “They’ve essentially banned books in Wales. This is the lunacy of the lockdown, and it’s getting worse and worse.”

Mysterious wet bog fire

What could ignite a fire like that in a wet bog? My bet is on methane emissions

Borth bog fire burns out on Ceredigion coast: authorities mystified over how wet bog combusted

Residents said they were scared by how close the fire came to homes

BBC,
14 February, 2014

A fire on bogland is out after dramatic scenes earlier of flames and smoke billowing over a nearby coastal village.

Natural Resources Wales said minimal damage was caused by the fire close to High Street, Borth, near Aberystwyth.

Fire crews were called at 05:20 GMT on Friday and allowed the blaze, which covered about a hectare (2.5 acres), to burn itself out by early afternoon.

Resident Bryn Jones said the scene was "incredible" given the wet weather.

The cause of the fire is not yet known but is being investigated.

Natural Resources Wales, which leases the land from the RSPB, said the fire appeared to have been restricted to surface grass rather than the peat.

The Ceredigion coast has borne the brunt of the bad weather in recent times, with buildings damaged by high winds this week.

The seafront at Aberystwyth needed repairs after taking a battering from stormy seas in January.

During the height of the fire, resident Mr Jones said: "You can see flames and smoke along the back of the village."

UK weather chaos

Britain braced for flooding chaos

Rain-battered Britain is bracing itself for more flooding chaos after forecasters predicted worsening weather conditions across the country.

Wales Online,

24 November, 2012

It will compound misery for those in areas already suffering from severe floods following the downpours earlier this week, which forced hundreds to evacuate their homes and killed a driver. Up to 40mm of rain is expected to fall in some areas by Sunday morning, with winds measuring 70mph on the south coast and 60mph as far inland as London and the East Midlands.

Some 44 flood warnings and 153 flood alerts are in place, with more likely to be issued throughout the weekend, the Environment Agency (EA) said. River flooding is likely with the possibility of significant disruption, particularly across Devon, North Somerset, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Wales, the EA said.

Nearly 400 properties have been flooded since Tuesday, while 9,000 homeowners have been told they are at risk of flooding, it added.

An EA statement said emergency teams had been working through the night and morning to shore up defences, deploy temporary barriers, monitor river levels, clear blockages from watercourses and pump out flood water from towns. EA flood defences have protected 21,800 properties across England and Wales, including in Cheltenham, Teignmouth and Weston-Super-Mare.

Brendan Jones, senior meteorologist at MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said the stormy weather could continue into early next week: "Rainfall amounts will increase rapidly through the rest of today and into tonight with as much as 30-40mm of rain expected in some areas. As well as the heavy rain, strong winds are still expected with southern and eastern parts of England worst affected. The winds are likely to be at their peak between midnight tonight and midday tomorrow, gradually shifting from the south coast of England to parts of East Anglia during this time.

"Whilst the heavy rain and strong winds will gradually edge away to the east tomorrow, another autumn storm will fire yet more rain and strong winds from the west across much of England and Wales during Sunday evening and overnight, into Monday morning. The winds will not be as strong within this second system but rainfall will be high once again. Further significant flooding is quite likely where ground is already saturated, particularly across Wales and western parts of England which have already been badly hit over the last few days."

Meanwhile, three elderly people had a lucky escape after being rescued from their car when it was swept down a swollen river in Warwickshire. The incident happened just off the A435 in Coughton Field Lane, Coughton near Alcester, at around 11.30am on Friday. The silver Corsa was carried for more than 500 yards before a local farmer managed to secure the vehicle and bring it to the water's edge, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.

A man was also reported missing after falling into a canal in heavy fog. The 50-year-old was walking with friends along a towpath near Wiggenhall Road in Watford shortly after 4am when it is believed he fell in. His friends lost sight of him in the darkness and fog, Hertfordshire Police said.

People should check the Environment Agency website for the latest information: www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood and sign up for free flood warnings on the Environment Agency's website or by calling the Environment Agency Floodline on 0845 988 1188.

From 2 days ago, in Snowdonia in Wales