Weather misery: Deaths, rescues, power cuts and more flood warnings across the UK

 
Staff|Agency15 February 2014

Tens of thousands of homes are without power as Britain's severe weather continues to bring flood misery to parts of the country.

A cruise ship passenger died after 80mph winds whipped up freak waves in the English Channel and a woman was killed when part of a building collapsed on to a car in central London.

More than 30 people had to be rescued from a seafront restaurant in Milford on Sea, Hampshire, after wind-blown shingle shattered windows and the sea flooded it.

There is major disruption across Britain's road and rail networks, with hundreds of trees uprooted across roads and rail tracks. Many train services have been cancelled.

The Energy Networks Association (ENA), which represents energy companies across the UK, said more than 140,000 homes were without power after further storms overnight.

On its Twitter page, the ENA said: "Severe weather has hit Southern England again last night causing damage to networks. 310,000 restored overnight but 141,822 without power."

The Environment Agency and emergency services continue to battle with the latest instalment of the worst winter storms in living memory.

Some 22 severe flood warnings - meaning there is a danger to life - are in place, issued for coastal communities from Cornwall to Hampshire, Gloucester and the Thames Valley, where rivers remain at their highest levels for decades.

Nearly 190 less serious flood warnings and 320 flood alerts were also in place this morning.

Communities across the country have been using sandbags and makeshift barriers to protect their homes and businesses from the floodwater. Yesterday the Duke of Cambridge and his brother, Prince Harry, joined in the emergency relief effort as they helped fill sandbags in Datchet, Berkshire.

Forecasters are warning of more heavy rain and gale-force winds today. Southern England will see between 0.4in (10mm) and 0.8in (20mm), while the South West and South Wales could see up to 1.6in (40mm), the Met Office said.

Floods in pictures

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Winds have wrought fresh havoc, with gusts of up to 80mph hitting exposed parts of the south coast.

Lymington Coastguard, fire services and the Army rescued 32 people from the Marine Restaurant in Milford on Sea, Hampshire, at 10pm yesterday, evacuating them in an Army vehicle. Hampshire Police said there were no serious injuries.

Chief Inspector Gary Cooper, who co-ordinated the rescue, said: "Last night's joint operation to rescue 32 people from the restaurant was probably the most difficult joint operation I have been involved in in 28 years of policing.

"The extreme weather conditions of stones being thrown from the beach with the power of the wind to smash windscreens of fire engines and military trucks was almost like they were being shot from a rifle."

An 85-year-old man died yesterday after the 22,000-tonne Marco Polo cruise ship was hit by a freak wave in the English Channel.

Water crashed through a window, injuring a number of people. The man was airlifted off the vessel along with a woman in her 70s, but later died. About 10 other people suffered minor injuries and were treated on board.

The vessel, which has been to the Amazon in South America and to the West Indies, is due to dock at Tilbury, Essex, in the early hours tomorrow.

Waves of up to 33ft (10m) reportedly threatened to cut off Portland in Dorset, while people in Portsmouth have been receiving hoax calls urging them to evacuate their homes amid flooding fears, Hampshire Police said.

Trees are reported to have fallen on trains near Mottingham in south-east London, and near Winterslow in Wiltshire, but no-one was hurt in either incident.

All train services west of Plymouth have been cancelled, while a landslide near Redhill has hit the railway line south of the capital.

Network Rail said there were heavy delays on the West Coast Main Line this morning as engineers work to repair damage to overhead lines caused by fallen trees.

A spokesman said: "It's been a vicious night with in excess of 120 trees coming down overnight, blocking dozens of routes across southern England and bringing overhead wires down on the West Coast Main Line south of Milton Keynes.

"The temporary sea wall at Dawlish was swamped by massive seas last night and, with the help of the local emergency service, residents of Sea Lawn and Riviera Terrace were evacuated as a precaution."

Services out of London's Paddington station remain restricted with 20% in operation as a result of flooding at Maidenhead, Berkshire, the Network Rail spokesman added.

South West Trains cancelled all services due to problems caused by the severe weather, although some lines have now been reopened. First Great Western advised passengers not to travel, and has speed restrictions of 50mph across most of its network.

UK Power Networks said 11,000 customers remain without electricity in the South East and 9,000 in the East of England.

A spokesman said engineers have restored power to 165,000 homes and businesses since high winds started last night.

Thames Valley Police said they received more than 400 calls reporting fallen trees overnight, including one woman who was taken to hospital with wrist injuries after a tree fell on her car.

Hampshire Police received 2,033 calls in 24 hours yesterday - twice the daily average - including 759 road-related calls with many reporting fallen trees and flooding.

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