Huge waves prompted Environment Agency to sound its flood siren in Dorset to warn of extreme danger
- Some 360 flood warnings or alerts for England, Wales and Scotland, with three severe warnings in Dorset
- Heavy showers combined with hail and thunder will continue to affect parts of South today and tomorrow
- Rain is now falling on already-saturated ground, while coastal areas also battle high tides and strong winds
- Seven people dead and more than 1,700 homes and businesses flooded in England since start of Christmas
- Concern growing for elderly dementia sufferer who went missing from her Hastings coastal home last night
- People warned to keep away from cliffs in Hastings after rain, winds and high tides led to massive rock fall
- Somerset village of Muchelney cut off for four days after access roads were left under 3ft of water
By MARK DUELL and SOPHIE JANE EVANS
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The whole of England and Wales was today placed under flood alert as rain continues to plague the South and tidal surges batter the coast.
Three severe flood warnings - the highest level - were still in place, covering Chiswell, nearby Preston Beach and the Lower Stour in Dorset.
Some 360 flood warnings or alerts were in place for England, Wales and Scotland - with warnings in all of England and Wales, and three Scottish regions.
The Met Office said that heavy showers, some of them combined with hail and thunder, will continue to affect parts of the South today and tomorrow.
Seven people have now died and more than 1,700 homes and businesses have been flooded in England since the beginning of the Christmas period.
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Warnings: 360 flood warnings or alerts were in place for England, Wales and Scotland - with every region of England and Wales, and three in Scotland, under a warning
Trying to make it through: A 4x4 drives down a flooded road next to the River Thames in Shepperton, Surrey
Splash: The day after the main Hercules storm hit Britain, high seas and big waves continue to batter the Cornish coast at Longships Lighthouse, near Land's End
Huge waves: The Cornish coast at Sennen, near Land's End - where waves of 27ft were recorded yesterday
Storm: Waves ravage an already damaged Victorian shelter on the promenade in Aberystwyth. A major cleanup operation has started today in the town
Battling through: Two women struggle in rain and strong winds near St Paul's Cathedral in Central London
On the board: Large swells and tides are still hitting the coast of Cornwall after the storm hit - and a surfer is seen taking advantage of this at Newquay
Recovery: Machinery working on the clean-up operation at Newgale Beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, where the pebble sea defence was moved back 30ft
The rain is falling on already-saturated ground, putting added pressure on swollen rivers - while coastal areas also battle high tides and strong winds.
Huge waves prompted the Environment Agency to sound its flood siren in Dorset last night - warning of extreme danger to people and property.
The alarm was raised after the sea breached Chiswell Beach in Portland around 10pm and spray crashed over flood defences, the coastguard said.
Police told residents, who had been on high alert, to move to an upstairs room facing away from the sea, as ‘horrendous’ sea conditions were reported.
Covered: Some 333 of the flood warnings or alerts were in place in England and Wales, with three severe flood warnings - the highest level - issued in Dorset
Forecast: The Met Office said that heavy showers, some of them combined with hail and thunder, will continue to affect parts of the South today and tomorrow
Choppy: The sun comes out as waves strike the promenade in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, which is one of the worst-hit places by the storms
Taking a look: After days of heavy rain, walkers are dwarfed by a wall of water as it overflows from the Derwent Reservoir in the Derbyshire Peak District
Clip clop: Horses are exercised on a flooded road near Rackham, West Sussex. Parts of the UK are entering a third week of flooding and stormy conditions
No way in or out: The road into Muchelney in Somerset, which is the only way to get to the village, as it has been cut off by the floods
Surveying the scene: A man walks his dog on the banks of the river Arun as flood water flows into a field (left) in Amberley, West Sussex
Wreckage: Two women walk across debris on the seafront in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, following the worst storms to affect the Welsh coastline in 15 years
Severe flooding: An Environment Agency employee looks at flood water from the River Arun in Pulborough, West Sussex
Picturesque: Flooding outside the cottage in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
January weather: Flooding is seen (left) in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, and horses (right) are exercised on a flooded road near Rackham
Other victims: Britain's awful weather today proved too much for a herd of water buffalo - who had to be evacuated from their flooded field in Eastbourne, Sussex
Many areas have faced disruption from road closures and cancelled or delayed train services as people returned to work after the Christmas holidays.
WATER BUFFALO EVACUATED FROM FLOODED FIELD AFTER STORMS
A herd of water buffalo had to be evacuated from their flooded field following the storms.
The three adults and two calves in Eastbourne, East Sussex, were left in desperate need of a new home when a river and lake overflowed to swamp their field(pictured above).
Alex Richards, the farm manager of West Rise Junior School - where the buffalo live - asked local farmers with a spare barn to put up the family over the winter months.
The 49-year-old said: ‘Water buffalo are perfectly suited to life in rivers and will enjoy the water, however mud and slurry has become a bit of an issue by their shelter. It's made it very difficult for the buffalo to move themselves about - so we thought it would be much nicer for them to sit the storms out in comfort.’
The buffalo have lived at the school for five years as part of a Bronze Age project.
Some 300 properties have flooded in England since the New Year. And around 140 properties have been flooded in Wales.
The Somerset village of Muchelney has been one of the worst places affected - with residents cut off for four days due to access roads being left under 3ft of water
High winds over Christmas also left 250,000 homes without power, with some families waiting days for the electricity to be restored.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said the Government was working closely with councils and insurers to ensure people could quickly get help. Some areas were now focused on recovery after storms and flooding over Christmas and New Year, while others remained at significant risk, he added.
Mr Paterson admitted to the Commons that a few energy network companies were too slow at restoring power to thousands of homes affected by the storms and floods over Christmas.
Energy Secretary Ed Davey will be meeting the regulator Ofgem and the Distribution Network Operators to see how improvements can be made.
Mr Paterson also said the response from some agencies in helping people whose homes had been affected by the severe weather had been ‘patchy’ and was ‘well worth investigating’.
But he praised the response of most of those involved in dealing with the storms.
He told MPs: ‘Flood management is a real priority for this Government. It has a vital role to play in protecting people and property from the damage caused by flooding and in delivering economic growth.’
But environmentalists challenged the Government's claim that it was spending more than ever on flood defences.
Friends of the Earth said analysis of Defra figures showed that some £2.32 billion was being spent over the current spending review period, slightly lower than the £2.36 billion spent in the period 2007-2011.
Deep water: A man is thigh-deep in water as he attempts to walk down a road leading to the village of Muchelney in Somerset
Cut off: Many of the village's residents, which lies on the Somerset Levels near Langport, have been cut off since the beginning of the New Year
Getting around: A father and daughter paddle through flood water in a canoe in Muchelney. The village had only just recovered from last year's flooding
An unusual taxi: Villagers use a 'tractor taxi' to get around, while resident Rod Baillie-Grohman, right, looks at flood damage to his home
And with the cost of inflation, the figure was a drop in real terms, the environmental group claimed.
Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Guy Shrubsole said: ‘Worse still, the coalition's chronic under-investment in flood defences is completely failing to keep pace with climate change, which is increasing flood risk - as the Government's climate envoy Sir David King recently pointed out.
THIS WEEK'S WEATHER FORECAST
Tonight: Heavy rain will affect south-east England and East Anglia. This will move away eastwards after midnight to leave it dry.
Tomorrow: Sunny spells across England and Wales, but with sharp showers in the north and west. Cloud will increase and outbreaks of rain will spread into south-west England later.
Thursday: Cloudy with overnight rain gradually clearing from eastern areas. It will brighten up as the day progresses with good sunny spells, but with scattered showers around.
Friday: A frosty start for some. Most parts will then be dry with some sunshine for a time. But cloud will thicken and outbreaks of rain will spread into northern and western areas
‘Protecting British households from the destructive impacts of climate change is essential - the Prime Minister must intervene to ensure flood defence spending rises to meet the challenge.’
Mr Paterson's statement on the floods over the holiday period came as the misery continued for some communities.
Flooding in the Somerset Levels has left villages cut off, roads and buildings have been damaged, and waves of up to 27ft have been recorded at Land's End, the most southern tip of the UK.
In Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, seafront properties along the promenade were again evacuated to a rest centre at a local school.
Meanwhile, searches are continuing in south Devon for missing 18-year-old university student Harry Martin, who was last seen leaving his home to take photographs of the weather - with more than 100 people volunteering to look for him.
Devon and Cornwall Police said a 20-mile stretch of coastline - 10 miles either side of the 18-year-old's home at Newton Ferrers - has been extensively searched as well as inland areas with the help of a range of groups and emergency services.
Officials around the country have pleaded with people to keep away as dozens put their lives at risk by going to coastal areas to watch as the storm brought waves of up to 40ft high crashing on to land.
Meanwhile, tributes have been paid to the man who died after being washed out to sea in Cornwall on New Year's Day.
Harry Swordy, 27, from Guildford, Surrey, had gone for a paddle with friends at Loe Bar beach after celebrating the new year but was ‘taken out of knee-deep water by a huge wave’.
Flying high: A teenager performs stunts with a kite on a beach in Brighton after ignoring warnings of strong winds and massive waves
Up and away: The youngster's friend takes hold of the kite and is immediately blown into the air - only metres away from deadly waves
Dangerous: The teenagers' risky actions follow the deaths of seven people in weather-related incidents in England
No sitting outside today: Flooded gardens next to the River Thames in Shepperton, Surrey
Isolated: Flooded fields surround Odda's Chapel in Deerhurst, Gloucestershire, as heavy rain continues to batter the country
Water damage: Homes next to the flooded River Thames in Shepperton, Surrey
Verifications: Dominic Webb (right) and Stuart Williams from Lindon Lewis Marine check boats moored to flooded moorings next to the River Thames in Shepperton
Inside out: A woman struggles to control her umbrella in strong winds near St Paul's Cathedral in Central London
Under attack: The Cove House Inn at Chesil Beach in Portland, Dorset, which was ravaged by 15ft waves during the latest winter storm to hit the UK
Response: Workers try to clear stones thrown over the road by the sea at Newgale, Pembrokeshire, after it was battered by the wind and high tides
Carrying on: A woman (left) and builders (right) wade through the high flood waters at Mill Meadow in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire
No cod and chips today: Sandbags put around the Dolphin Café take-away in Perranporth, Cornwall, to offer protection from potential flooding
Getting on with the day: A man carries his shopping over debris on Aberystwyth promenade after the worst storms to affect the Welsh coastline in 15 years
No access: Flooded fields with the cut off village of Muchelney, Somerset, in the background. Flood waters have continued to rise as residents remain trapped
Friends Tom and Lou Luddington wrote a blog post in tribute to Mr Swordy. They said: ‘He was with his sister and friends, and celebrating the beginning of a new year at the beach.
‘Some of the others were also taken by the wave, but thankfully managed to get ashore. Harry was such an amazing character, so full of life, warmth and plans for the future. He will be so missed.
‘Harry, amongst other talents, was a professional story-teller. His stories were full of beauty, wonder and they were clever and moving.’
Friends have also begun a #StormHarry appeal on Twitter for the UK's ongoing bad weather to be named after him.
‘We are campaigning that the storm, named by the US media as Hercules, be re-named Storm Harry in his memory,’ Mr and Mrs Luddington said.
‘It feels right that a legend begin about wonderful Harry that he danced up the biggest storm ever, barefoot in the sea.’
People have been warned to keep away from cliffs in Hastings, East Sussex, after excessive rainfall, strong winds and high tides lead to a massive rock fall.
Destruction: A general view of the damaged promenade in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. A major cleanup operation has started today in the Wales town
Capturing the situation: A resident takes a photograph of flood water which has continued to rise in Langport, Somerset
Protection: Sandbags put around properties in Perranporth, south-west of Newquay, Cornwall, as Britain is battered by strong wides and high tides
Splash: Godrevy Lighthouse is battered by huge waves off the Cornish coast. 'Horrendous' sea conditions were reported in Dorset last night
'Do not enter': Schooners restaurant in St Agnes, Cornwall, has been forced to close after strong waves washed away the balcony
'Good parking for boats': Media consultant Sybil Ruscoe posted a picture on Twitter of a flooded car park at North Sands in Salcolmbe, Devon
Damaged: Flooded houses are seen yesterday in the village of Muchelney, near Langport in Somerset, which has been cut off by flooding
Making it through: Three young women ride horses yesterday through flood water on the road leading to the village of Muchelney which has been cut off by flooding
Not moving: A man tries start a Mercedes car left stricken in flood water on the road leading to the village of Muchelney yesterday which has been cut off by flooding
Stand back: Waves crash onto the promenade between Fleetwood and Blackpool yesterday as high tides and huge waves hit the west coast of Britain
Pledge: Environment Secretary Owen Paterson (left) said the Government was working closely with councils and insurers to ensure people could quickly get help. Energy Secretary Ed Davey (right) will be meeting the regulator Ofgem and the Distribution Network Operators to see how improvements can be made
ELDERLY DEMENTIA SUFFERER MISSING FROM COASTAL HOME
Concern was growing for an elderly dementia sufferer who was known to love the seafront after she went missing from her coastal home in the middle of last night.
Shirley Coalbran, of Hastings, East Sussex, was last seen when she went to bed around 11pm but the 76-year-old then got up again and left her home.
Sergeant Jane Batcheler said: ‘Shirley has mild Alzheimer's and is known to like looking at the sea and walks along the seafront. We have had some very high winds overnight so we are concerned for her welfare.’
The pensioner was believed to have been wearing a black parka-style coat with fur around the hood, and black boots. Anyone who saw her was asked to contact Sussex Police.
The cliff face at Rock a Nore, which forms part of the Hastings Country Park and Nature Reserve, is susceptible to landslides but the fall on January 3 means the area is dangerous in the current weather conditions, Hastings Borough Council said.
Councillor Emily Westley said: ‘We already advise the public not to enter the area with warning and information signs and a fixed barrier to restrict access, but must reiterate the current dangers.
‘Visual inspections are carried out daily of cliffs as part of the beach inspector's checks and this includes ensuring all signage and barriers are in place.
‘In addition, we also visually inspect and photograph this area of cliff as part of our quarterly inspection of coast defence assets.’
However, two teenage boys chose to ignore severe weather warnings in Brighton today - performing stunts with a kite on the seafront amid stormy winds and massive waves.
More than 220,000 properties were protected over the Christmas period and another 800,000 were protected during the coastal flooding in early December, Mr Paterson told the Commons.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning - the lowest of its three levels - for ‘heavy showers, some of them combined with hail and thunder’ until tomorrow morning across the South East, South West and East of England.
Forecasters are predicting rainfall of between 0.6in (15mm) and 1in (25mm) but are warning of as much as 1.6in (40mm) in some areas.
Dorset Police urged residents in Chiswell to be prepared for flooding and to listen out for the warning siren.
HUGE STACK OF ROCK DATING BACK 150 MILLION YEARS IS DESTROYED AFTER POUNDING BY FEROCIOUS WAVES
A huge ancient stack of rock was destroyed after constant pounding by ferocious waves on the southern tip of Portland in Dorset.
The rock, known as Pom Pom Rock, was said to have weighed hundreds of tonnes and dates back 150 million years to the Jurassic age.
Portland has been badly hit by the weather, with the Environment Agency sounding its flood siren last night in the area to warn of extreme danger.
Washed away: A huge, ancient stack of rock was destroyed after constant pounding by ferocious waves on the southern tip of Portland, Dorset
Portland has been badly hit by the weather, with the Environment Agency sounding its flood siren last night in the area to warn of extreme danger
How it once stood: The ancient stack of rock pictured two weeks ago before it was knocked down by the strong waves
‘The siren will be sounded should the sea breach Chiswell beach - as it did last night,’ a force spokeswoman said.
SHOCK AT FLOOD SIREN WARNING
Residents of Portland, Dorset, were shocked after flood sirens warning of a breach in sea defences sounded for the first time ever.
The island, connected to Weymouth by a mile-long causeway, was among the worst hit areas of the country overnight. Huge sections of the famous Chesil Beach were washed away as 15ft tall waves pounded the coastline.
The flood sirens were sounded at the village of Chiswell and the causeway shut to traffic at 10.15pm last night when the sea breached the beach's iconic shingle bank at high tide.
The claxon, initiated by the Environment Agency, is a warning of severe flooding with ‘extreme risk to people and property’.
A spokesman for the agency said the warning system had been in place since the 1980s but this was the first time ever it had been used.
Residents of Chiswell were advised to move to an upstairs room facing away from the sea and stay there until told it was safe to come down.
They were warned to take flood kits with them and expect to be stranded for several hours. And around 30 drinkers were evacuated from the Cove House Inn on Chesil Beach.
Landlady Amanda Broughton-South said: ‘It was pretty hair-raising. As the evening went on the weather just got worse and worse. The wind was howling and the waves were about 15ft and began breaching the sea defences.
‘There used to be a big section of pebble beach between the pub and the sea but it's basically been washed away and now the water is right up to our wall.'
Local resident Anne Souster was today mopping up after flood water 2in deep came into her 400-year-old cottage.
She said: ‘We were given the option of evacuating but this cottage has been here since the 1600s so we decided to stay. The only damage it has done is to the carpet.
‘The major worry was the idiots who were going up to the sea wall to look at it. There were a lot of them and the police had to get involved.'
Portland Beach Road from Weymouth to Portland remains open but will close should the conditions make it unsafe and Preston Beach Road in Weymouth remains closed.
‘This is a multi-agency operation and follows monitoring of sea levels, tides and waves over the last 24-hour period, the weather forecast indicating further severe weather together with predicted high tides.’
At Palmer's Brewery in nearby Bridport, the Old Brewery building was evacuated when scaffolding was struck by lightning for the second time in 12 months.
‘There was a huge bang and all our alarms went off,’ a brewery spokesman said.
‘We evacuated the building and everyone trooped outside into the pouring rain. Fortunately there was no damage and we were able to return swiftly to brewing today's batch of Copper Ale. All back to usual now and the sun has come out.’
Other parts of the UK continued to suffer from gale-force winds, heavy rain overnight and strong waves. The Thames Barrier in London will close for the 11th successive tide today. According to the EA it has only closed operationally 135 times since being built in the 1980s.
In Cornwall, waves at Portreath washed away a 100-year-old stone hut on the breakwater and at Porthcothan Bay, between Newquay and Padstow, a huge rock has completely collapsed under the sheer force of huge waves.
In Wales, the coast was once again battered by strong winds and high tides but forecasters say the worst of the storms is over for now.
All buildings along Aberystwyth promenade were evacuated last night as it was hit by an ‘exceptional’ wave swell. But hundreds of Aberystwyth University students forced out of their seafront accommodation have now been allowed to return.
Now, while the worst of the bad weather looks to have come and gone, the clean-up operation along Wales' battered coastline continues. In Aberystwyth, surveyors will be inspecting the town's promenade - which suffered severe damage with holes forming in the sea wall.
And in Pembrokeshire, council workers have begun clearing the main road that runs alongside the beach in Newgale, after tonnes of pebbles were washed ashore.
The Welsh Government has ordered a review of Wales' coastal defences. Environment minister Alun Davies visited Aberystwyth last Friday to meet with council bosses and local people to discuss the issue.
Across the rail network, there was continuing disruption to services due to the weather. Rail services between Lincoln Central and Peterborough have been affected because of emergency engineering work taking place to prevent a landslip.
There were also delays on First Great Western services because of signalling problems between Truro and Falmouth Docks following a lighting strike at the docks.
Flooding between Radley and Oxford was causing delays to trains between Didcot Parkway and Oxford, which was disrupting CrossCountry and First Great Western services.
Several services across the Arriva Train Wales network were continuing to be disrupted due to the damage caused by the recent high winds and flooding. Irish Ferries has also cancelled its Swift sailings to and from Dublin. However the firm said passengers would be accommodated on other services.
Meanwhile, a steel 'totem' on the Twin Sails Bridge in Poole, Dorset - which only opened in April 2012 - was today blown loose by the strong winds.
The 23ft curved stainless steel structure - which is one of four used to house the safety barrier, warning lights and operating systems - was being held in place by a crane while engineers worked to re-attach it.
And The Environment Agency confirmed a large amount of shingle had been displaced along Chesil Beach in Dorset, but added that it would level out naturally in the coming months.
A spokesman said: ‘The shingle has been displaced by the heavy weather and is much lower down the beach than normal but it is still there. It is just not feasible to get heavy plant down there at the moment to replace it. The beach will naturally rebuild itself over time.’
THREE FOOT COD WEIGHING 12LBS WASHED ONTO SEASIDE GOLF COURSE' THIRD GREEN BY MASSIVE WAVES
It’s unlikely that many golfers have faced such an obstacle before on this 119-year-old course.
A fully-grown cod was discovered on a coastal golf course in Porthcawl, South Wales - which borders the Bristol Channel - following the severe storms.
Peter Evans, who works for the Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, found the 3ft fish on the third green of the course when he went out to clear debris.
The 49-year-old told The Sun: ‘The tide came over onto the first fairway of the third hole. We went to clear up and saw this huge fish lying there.
‘It was a decent size - we didn't weigh it, but it looked over 12lbs. I've been the golf pro here for 20 years and never seen anything like it.’
Washed up: A fully-grown cod has been discovered on this coastal golf course in Porthcawl, South Wales
Surprise: Peter Evans, who works for the Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, found the 3ft fish on the third green
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