Photos here:
– Britain’s coast battered by 30ft waves, high tides and giant hailstones as fiercest storms in 20 years leave trail of destruction… and there’s more on the way (Daily Mail, Jan 4, 2014):
- Environment Agency has urged people to stay away from the sea and rivers because they risk being killed
- Teenager Harry Martin has gone missing after taking photographs of storm from cliffs close to Plymouth in Devon
- 21 severe flood warnings – the highest level – issued in South and West with 500 alerts in total across the UK
- Storm surge began at around 6am this morning – with risk of floods for 4 hours after high tide peaks
- Stronger winds and waves predicted for this evening’s high tide
- Streets and homes in Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire are already badly flooded after morning’s deluge
- Police forced to spend time moving on weather watchers after large crowds gathered along the British coastline
- Motorist died when his car left a Cornish road as storm hit region with torrential rain and hail
- Met Office expects 70mph-plus winds and torrential rain to batter UK into next week, peaking on Monday
- A Dorset petrol station had to be evacuated and a house in Wales caught fire after both were struck by lightning
- River Severn’s banks have broken in Minsterworth