UK Weather: 70mph Winds and Flooding Continue to Hit Britain

Heavy rain and winds of up to 70mph will continue to hit parts of Britain, with the storm set to bring more floods and travel chaos across the UK.

The Environment Agency has issued more than 100 flood warnings across the UK.

There has been one severe flood warning, meaning potential loss of life, which has been issued in Dorset; for the Lower Stour at Iford Bridge Home Park, Bournemouth.

The Met Office has also warned that gusts of up to 70mph are set to batter western parts of the UK due to a storm which has been developing in the Atlantic. The strong winds look set to produce "exceptionally high waves" in western and southern coastal towns.

The extreme weather which has occurred over the festive period has already claimed three lives, with a 47-year-old man becoming the third victim after his mobility scooter fell into the River Thames in Oxford.

People have been told to take extra care on the roads and along the coast and the poor weather conditions continue.

A Met Office spokesperson said: "Strong winds will combine with large waves to bring the risk of coastal flooding. Winds will gust to 60mph or so on coasts, and locally to 70mph, but waves will be larger than usually associated with this strength. The public should be aware of the dangers of waves crashing onshore and over topping shore lines and sea fronts.

"Bands of heavy showers reaching Northern Ireland early this morning will continue eastwards across many other parts of the UK today.

"These are likely to be most frequent across Northern Ireland, south and west Scotland, northwest England and north Wales and will be accompanied by squally winds along with hail and thunder. Some five to 10mm of rain could occur in less than an hour with locally 15 to 25mm of rain through today and perhaps as much as 40mm on high ground.

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

An Environment Agency spokesperson added: "Communities in Dorset and Oxfordshire are urged to remain prepared for flooding as peak flows move along the rivers Thames, Dorset Stour and Frome. There is the possibility of significant flooding in the lower reaches of these rivers.

"Ongoing river flooding is expected on the Somerset Levels and rivers in the south east remain very high after recent rainfall. River levels on the Severn will also remain high until Tuesday.

"High tides are now declining, however due to large waves and a storm surge there remains a coastal flood risk for much of the north west, south west and south coasts of England and for parts of the Welsh coast."

The weather has also caused travel disruption, with many roads closed due to flooding and trains cancelled or severely delayed.

First Great Western warned passengers there was a risk to services in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset, while First Great Western and Arriva Trains Wales are saying there are major disruptions to their services as a result of the high winds and heavy rain.