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| Weather warnings: avoid coastal or riverside paths, say agencies | Weather warnings: avoid coastal or riverside paths, say agencies |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| People are being strongly advised not to walk on coastal paths and promenades or near floodwater as high winds continued to batter southern and western parts of the UK. | |
| The rivers Stour in Dorset and Severn in Gloucestershire burst their banks, sandbag defences were set up near Belfast docks and Scotland is bracing itself for blasts of up to 80mph later in the day as storm surges that flooded towns and villages in England moved northwards. | The rivers Stour in Dorset and Severn in Gloucestershire burst their banks, sandbag defences were set up near Belfast docks and Scotland is bracing itself for blasts of up to 80mph later in the day as storm surges that flooded towns and villages in England moved northwards. |
| Another bout of severe weather was expected in the south-west, already hit by floods earlier on Friday, as high spring tides combined with low pressure and strong winds returned. Rivers swollen with rain and floodwater from recent days continued to threaten properties. | |
| The Environment Agency said there were 13 severe flood warnings involving threat to life, mainly in Wales and the south-west, as conditions eased after a stormy morning. Another 158 flood warnings and 233 less severe flood alerts were in place. In Scotland, authorities said there were 38 flood warnings and nine alerts. | The Environment Agency said there were 13 severe flood warnings involving threat to life, mainly in Wales and the south-west, as conditions eased after a stormy morning. Another 158 flood warnings and 233 less severe flood alerts were in place. In Scotland, authorities said there were 38 flood warnings and nine alerts. |
| Looe in Cornwall, Ilfracombe, Barnstable, Plymouth in Devon and Caernarfon in Wales were among towns with parts under floodwater. Yalding in Kent was also hit. Train services were disrupted and there were extra delays on roads. Ferry sailings from Plymouth to Roscoff, France, and Portsmouth to Santander in Spain were cancelled. Services from Belfast and Larne to Scottish ports as well as Liverpool were cancelled for the day. The west coast of Ireland experienced winds of more than 100mph, with Galway city suffering some of the worst flooding. Around 6,000 homes were without electricity across western seaboard counties while parts of Cork had to be evacuated. | |
| As the government's emergency committee Cobra met in London, David Cameron tweeted that he was "ensuring all is being done to help with the floods" while Ed Miliband sent a message of thanks to "our brave emergency services helping those hit by flooding and bad weather" and added: "My thoughts are with everyone affected." | |
| Tom Mansell, RNLI divisional operations manager and flood rescue team leader, said: "To be honest, this morning was slightly better than expected. There has been flooding in places like Looe, Kingsbridge and Salcombe but it is not as bad as we had been expecting." | Tom Mansell, RNLI divisional operations manager and flood rescue team leader, said: "To be honest, this morning was slightly better than expected. There has been flooding in places like Looe, Kingsbridge and Salcombe but it is not as bad as we had been expecting." |
| "This is coastal flooding that we are expecting," he said. "Such areas are reasonably used to this but the danger is really where people are going down to have a look. They don't understand how dangerous the sea can be. We would say please, please keep away from this water." | "This is coastal flooding that we are expecting," he said. "Such areas are reasonably used to this but the danger is really where people are going down to have a look. They don't understand how dangerous the sea can be. We would say please, please keep away from this water." |
| Mansell said a man in Cornwall had a "very lucky escape" when his car was swept away as he watched waves. "People think they are in a strong metal box but moving water on tarmac makes the car very buoyant," he said. | Mansell said a man in Cornwall had a "very lucky escape" when his car was swept away as he watched waves. "People think they are in a strong metal box but moving water on tarmac makes the car very buoyant," he said. |
| Geoff Brown, the senior councillor responsible for homes and communities on Cornwall council, said: "Cornwall had not experienced the three factors that cause problems – high tides, the surge and strong winds – at the same time. | Geoff Brown, the senior councillor responsible for homes and communities on Cornwall council, said: "Cornwall had not experienced the three factors that cause problems – high tides, the surge and strong winds – at the same time. |
| "The winds came later on and that has saved a significant amount of flooding," he said. "We are now watching very carefully what happens during the day. The next high tide is between 6.30pm and 7pm and we are expecting the next depression across the Atlantic to hit on Sunday. It looks as though that could cause more problems than we've seen today," said Brown. | |
| "My advice is to not venture near the coast in the next few days." | |
| Bad weather has already caused disruption to road and rail networks across Scotland, with the A75 in Dumfriesshire closed due to an overturned lorry. Train operator Scotrail has warned of severe disruption in the regions of Strathclyde and Ayrshire. The Forth Road Bridge has been closed to high-sided vehicles and all other traffic is subject to a 40mph speed restriction due to winds of almost 60mph. | Bad weather has already caused disruption to road and rail networks across Scotland, with the A75 in Dumfriesshire closed due to an overturned lorry. Train operator Scotrail has warned of severe disruption in the regions of Strathclyde and Ayrshire. The Forth Road Bridge has been closed to high-sided vehicles and all other traffic is subject to a 40mph speed restriction due to winds of almost 60mph. |
| Ferry operator P&O has also cancelled sailings between Scotland and Ireland until further notice, and three flights into Glasgow Airport from Islay, Campbeltown and Dublin were cancelled this morning. | Ferry operator P&O has also cancelled sailings between Scotland and Ireland until further notice, and three flights into Glasgow Airport from Islay, Campbeltown and Dublin were cancelled this morning. |
| The Met Office has issued yellow "be aware" warnings covering much of the country, with Glasgow and the west coast set to be particularly badly affected. Forecasters expect up to 20mm (0.79in) of rainfall in some parts. | The Met Office has issued yellow "be aware" warnings covering much of the country, with Glasgow and the west coast set to be particularly badly affected. Forecasters expect up to 20mm (0.79in) of rainfall in some parts. |
| The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) urged the public to stay informed on weather conditions and be prepared to take action if required: "We would advise the public to be aware of the alerts and warnings for the coastal areas in particular and avoid walking on coastal paths and promenades. | |
| "We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will update our information and advice if there are any further developments in the weather that will affect coastal and river flooding. | "We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will update our information and advice if there are any further developments in the weather that will affect coastal and river flooding. |
| "We also urge people to keep themselves up-to date with the latest information and advice for their area by checking the Sepa website or calling Sepa's Floodline on 0845 988 1188." | "We also urge people to keep themselves up-to date with the latest information and advice for their area by checking the Sepa website or calling Sepa's Floodline on 0845 988 1188." |
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