Washout January follows worst December storms for 40 years

Last month saw the worst December storms since 1969, according to the Met Office, and the Environment Agency has warned the new year is unlikely to bring any immediate respite in the wet and windy conditions.

Three people have died in the latest storms, and the search for a missing 18-year-old has entered the fourth day. Roads have been closed and train services disrupted due to the weather.

The worst of the weather has affected western and southern areas, with massive waves hitting coastlines throughout Devon, Cornwall and Wales.

Landmark

In Cornwall, 70mph winds drove 30 feet waves on to the coast to wash away a stone hut known as the Monkey House on the 18th century pier at Portreath, on the north coast of Cornwall.

Elsewhere in Cornwall vehicles driving on a coastal road were swamped and almost washed away by a tidal surge.

A man and child were almost swept away by a huge wave at Mullion Cove in Cornwall as they peered over the sea wall to watch the raging sea.

The highest level of warning, indicating danger to life and property, was issued by the Environment Agency (EA) for the Lower Stour in Dorset.

The EA issued one severe flood warning for Iford Bridge Home Park near Christchurch, Dorset, meaning “there is significant risk to life”.

Evacuation

There are also 105 flood warnings where flooding is “expected” across almost every region in England and Wales, and there are 219 flood alerts in force.

Homes on the seafront at Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, have already been evacuated amid fears of severe flooding.

The weather is likely to continue throughout the rest of the day, and potentially into tomorrow.

“The public should be aware of the potential for localised flooding leading to difficult driving conditions, with hail providing an additional hazard.” Met Office spokesman

A yellow warning for wind urging people to “be aware” has been put in place by the Met Ofice for the west coast of England, from the north to the south, for the rest of the day.

London and the south east, and parts of the east of England, are under yellow warnings for rain until tomorrow night.

Bands of showers will move across the country today and tomorrow. Some of them will be accompanied by hail and possibly thunder in the south east, potentially causing thundery showers into tomorrow.

Some of the showers will come as heavy rain, and some will be more showery. However, all rainfall is falling onto saturated ground, so the effects are likely to be magnified.

“The public should be aware of the potential for localised flooding leading to difficult driving conditions, with hail providing an additional hazard,” a Met Office spokesman said.

Trains cancelled

In Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset, First Great Western trains warned passengers that there was a risk to services.

It emerged yesterday that one woman in Somerset was rescued from her house after being trapped by floodwaters for 13 days. Anne-Marie Simpson and her dog, Elvis, survived by living upstairs with a stockpile of food and boiling water over a coal fire.

With the death toll from the latest storms rising to three, 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 40 feet crashing on to land.

In Oxford on Sunday, a 47-year-old man died when his mobility scooter fell from a flooded path into a river. A 27-year-old man from Surrey was found on Porthleven Sands beach in Cornwall after he was swept out to sea on New Year’s Eve night, and a woman died after being rescued from the sea in Croyde Bay, north Devon.

Searches

Searches for Harry Martin, 18, a university student who was last seen leaving his home to take photographs of the weather are continuing in south Devon.

A man and child were almost swept away by a huge wave at Mullion Cove in Cornwall as they peered over the sea wall to watch the raging sea.

Jonathan Day, flood risk manager at the Environment Agency, warned that the risk of flooding continues this week.

He said: “Although high tides are now falling, there remains a risk of coastal flooding, especially on the south and west coasts.

“In addition, wet conditions have left the ground saturated in many areas, increasing the risk of river and surface water flooding.”

The Rail Delivery Group, which speaks on behalf of the rail industry, apologised for passengers’ delays because of the weather but said 96% of scheduled services were operating.