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The UK is in position to respond to further extreme weather in the Caribbean as the approaching Storm Maria is reclassified as a hurricane. The hurricane comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Irma, the most powerful hurricane ever recorded.

UK experts on the ground are working closely with national authorities to prepare for the approaching hurricane. Staff, military assets and relief supplies remain in the region and are ready to respond.

DFID, alongside other government departments, are already working on plans to deal with the hurricane’s aftermath and are in close contact with Governor’s offices. This includes efforts to get people to public shelters and secure loose materials and debris which could cause further injuries.

International Development Secretary Priti Patel said:

We are under no illusions about the possible impact of Hurricane Maria and are taking every measure possible to prepare communities which have already been devastated by Hurricane Irma.

British troops, police and aid experts are working relentlessly to get help to the victims of Hurricane Irma. Those same individuals will now be tasked with also preparing for the impact of Maria, and to ensure support continues to get to those in need.

Chris Austin, the Head of the UK’s Joint Task force, added:

We are planning for the unexpected, we are planning for the worst. We need to demonstrate our own resilience because there is a real chance that Hurricane Maria may significantly impact on our existing efforts to provide relief.

To date, 75 tonnes of DFID relief items have either arrived or been procured in the region including much needed food, water, nearly 3000 shelter kits, 5,000 hygiene kits and 10,000 buckets.

A further 60 tonnes of aid and reconstruction materials is on the way to the region on HMS Ocean, and DFID has chartered a number of flights and vessels which will transport additional relief items to the affected islands.

The UK is also leading the way in the long-term reconstruction of islands hit by Hurricane Irma. Speaking at the 72nd session of the United Nations along with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Ms Patel will say that whilst relief effort will go on, plans are being put in place to help rebuild on the islands, more resiliently than in the past, so a future hurricane won’t be as devastating.

UK aid is already having a significant impact on many of the victims including Dorothy, a victim of Hurricane Irma in the British Virgin Islands, who said:

I was so happy when the soldier told me yesterday that my house was the first house that was fixed. He said that they had given people things to fix their houses but my house was the first house that a soldier came and fixed. I said God I’m blessed.

I was the happiest person on earth because I was very sad because I had lost everything. With whatever people give me, or what I can get myself, I’ll fix up my place so it looks like somewhere I can live.

Notes to Editors

• Maria is currently a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 80mph. The hurricane is expected to strengthen as it heads towards the Leeward Islands (Barbados). Hurricane warnings are in place for Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat and Anguilla.

• 32 aid experts, 1,300 military personnel and 59 police officers are working on the UK’s response.

• So far the UK has committed nearly £60 million as part of its response to Hurricane Irma.

Updated: Satellite tracked data spreadsheet updated.

Donna Gilmore, 31, of New Lane, Eccles, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, was understandably distraught when Bailey, her 2-year-old Shi Tzu, disappeared from the house, not far from the M60, earlier this month.

A few days later, after a search of the area and a social media campaign from Donna’s friends and family had failed to bring Bailey home, a dog was spotted near junction 12 of the motorway by Highways England traffic officers Mark Wellman and Dave Lavelle.

Mark and Dave, who both work at the Rob Lane outstation at Newton-le-Willows, spotted the dog on the wrong side of the safety barriers on a bridge overlooking the eastbound M62, on the approach to the M60. Traffic was temporarily stopped for everyone’s safety and so Bailey could be retrieved. He was taken away to be checked by a vet – while the search for its owner began.

Dave, 58, from Davyhulme in Trafford, said:

We had heard reports of a dog in the area over a few days so we were keeping a look out for safety reasons as much as anything as stray animals can cause drivers to swerve and brake suddenly, leading to collisions. “At the time we spotted him, we had no idea it was Bailey but we posted a picture on Twitter hoping someone would recognise him and – to cut quite a long story short – a police officer I know and whose daughter is a friend of Donna’s made the connection.

And Mark, 51, from Warrington, added:

We dropped Bailey back home at the weekend – he was a bit dishevelled but none the worse for his 6 day adventure – and of course Donna was absolutely thrilled.

Dave and I are just glad we were able to help. Pets do occasionally stray onto the motorway and unfortunately some get killed – but even in those cases Highways England works hard to reunite pets with their owners and deal with each case as sensitively as possible.

There was an added bonus – Bailey’s return also reunited him with his 10-month-old son Fudge.

Detective Sergeant Hayden Roberts, the dad of Donna’s friend Cerian, has now written to Highways England on behalf of Donna to thank Mark and Dave for their efforts.

He said:

The Twitter picture got back to me via Cerian who hoped I could find out where Bailey had been taken to. I happened to know Dave from a previous job so as a longshot I contacted him – but I had no idea he had actually been involved in Bailey’s rescue!

Dave called me back a short time later with the details that Bailey had been taken to the RSPCA in Salford I was able to call my daughter and an overjoyed Donna to give them the good news.

Donna and my daughter asked me to write thank Dave and Mark for the outstanding and caring service they have provided. This is definitely a story with a very happy ending!

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

As part of our continued commitment to deliver a high-quality service to our customers, stakeholders and partners, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is embarking on a major operational transformation programme across all three of our expert centres – the MHRA regulatory centre, the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) and the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). This includes significant investment in our digital capabilities and infrastructure.

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