Weather: Flood Warnings As Tidal Surges Hit

Hundreds of homes have been flooded after rivers from the South West to Scotland burst their banks as the British Isles were hit by another violent storm from the Atlantic.

Nine severe flood warnings, which indicate a risk to life, are in place for England and Wales as heavy rain and strong winds, combined with exceptionally high tides, struck western parts.

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Where some of the high tides are on Friday night

Among the areas affected are the south coasts of Devon and Cornwall, parts of Dorset and Gloucestershire, and Wales.

Severe flood warning areas in Dorset Severe flood warning areas in Gloucestershire Severe flood warning areas in Wales

Emergency services are searching for an 18-year-old man who went missing while taking photographs around the River Yealm estuary at Newton Ferrers, Devon.

Harry Martin went missing in the storms

Harry Martin was last seen around noon on Thursday, walking in the direction of the coastal path near his home in Membland.

In North Wales, five people were rescued by lifeboat from a flood-hit caravan park in Gwynedd. And four people were rescued from a farm in Llanbedr, near Barmouth.

It came just hours after homes in Newport, South Wales, were evacuated because of the risk of flooding.

The three severe warnings for the South West are near Bournemouth in Dorset.

There are three in Wales, including the tidal area at Borth and the Usk estuary. And three in Gloucestershire along the River Severn and its estuary.

More than 300 flood warnings and alerts are also in place, affecting almost every region of England and Wales.

There were high tides later on the northwest coastline bringing further threats to communities, including Chester, where sand bags were laid.

Also inland, the risk was that rivers - already swollen from weeks of rain -  would rise further and burst their banks.

People were rescued from a flooded farm in North Wales. Pic: RNLI

And for counties such as Dorset and Gloucestershire that were affected earlier in the day by floods, the evening high tide means further potential problems.

In Christchurch, Dorset, the River Stour burst its banks. Sky's Stephen Douglas at the scene said: "A number of homes have been evacuated so people are listening to the warnings hoping it doesn't get any worse than this."

In Burrowbridge, Somerset, the River Parrett burst its banks as did the River Severn in Minsterworth, Gloucestershire.

Some roads in Gloucestershire were "impassable" due to flooding, including in Tewkesbury.

In Cornwall, there has been flooding in areas including Penzance, Newquay, Looe and Polperro and there have been road closures. In Devon, towns including Kingsbridge and Salcombe were affected.

But the situation in the two most southwesterly counties has been slightly better than anticipated, according to the RNLI.

Flooding in Lynmouth, north Devon

Spokesman Tom Mansell said: "There has been flooding in places like Looe, Kingsbridge and Salcombe but it is not as bad as we had been expecting."

He said a man in Cornwall had a "very lucky escape" when his car was swept away as he wave-watched.

This was the scene in Kingsbridge, Devon. Pic: norsphoto/Twitter

"People think they are in a strong metal box but moving water on tarmac becomes very buoyant," he said.

One man in Penzance was evacuated from his home after it was "severely affected" by floods.

In the South East, Yalding in Kent was deluged again overnight but not on the same scale as over Christmas.

The scene in the Severn Estuary in Gloucestershire

The unsettled conditions in the UK are expected to remain for the next few days, forecasters say.

Sky's weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "The areas most at risk today will be the southwest of England where the second high tide today will be during this evening's rush hour.

Flooding in Salcombe, Devon. Pic: RNLI

"Tonight the winds will ease, but rain is expected across southern parts of England and Wales by the morning. This rain will spread north on Saturday. On Sunday more rain will spread across all parts of the UK and next week remains unsettled with further downpours."

There are also suggestions there may be snow across northern England, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland on Saturday.

Floods in Newport, South Wales

Meanwhile, the Thames Flood Barrier in London has been closed due to a high flow of water over Teddington Weir combined with a spring tide.

It is has also been announced that December 2013 was the wettest month in Scotland since records began in 1910.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued more than a dozen flood warnings, but no severe flood warnings.

Belfast avoided the serious flooding that had been feared after a tidal surge came and went without breaching defences.

A train passes through the coast at Saltcoats in Scotland

But in Coleraine, in Co Londonderry, there were reports of flooding after the River Bann broke its banks.

On the east coast of the region, towns and villages such as Cushendall, Carnlough, Newcastle and Portaferry took a battering.

In the Irish Republic, forecasters have issued a "status orange" weather warning, with gusts of up to 80mph hitting Connacht, Donegal, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick.

High tides, strong winds and rainfall have caused flooding in parts of Cork, Galway, Salthill, Waterford, Tralee, Clare and Mayo, while the River Shannon has burst its banks in Limerick.

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