God damn it's windy!

Rain and high winds battering UK

Parts of the UK are being battered by rain and fierce winds, as weather forecasters warn worse may be to come.

Winds of up to 82mph (130km/h) have brought down trees in Wales and south-west England and left 10,000 homes without electricity.

There are seven severe flood warnings on the south-west coast, where it is feared water could spill over sea walls when high tides peak around midday.

Tugs had to be sent to help a tanker struggling in the Solent.

The 11,000-tonne ship, with 13 people and a cargo of gas oil onboard, was dragging its anchor off the Isle of Wight in severe gale force winds.

High tide fears

Several tugs managed to secure the Swedish-registered Astral and she is due to be towed into port.

Environment Agency chief executive Baroness Young told BBC News: "Along the coast from the South West, almost as far as Kent, we could see the sea coming over the sea walls and that's when we really could have difficulties.

"We are saying to people, stay away. It's very impressive to watch but these waves could come over at any time."

She said the first wave of the storm had resulted in only localised flooding but there was "more to come" from 1100 GMT onwards as "two big bands" of severe weather were to sweep the country.

However, she said areas at risk were "as well prepared as is possible" to deal with potential problems, with evacuation plans in place.


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Small-scale flooding has affected parts of the South West, with residents putting out sandbags to protect homes in parts of Devon and Cornwall.

The Environment Agency in Devon said the morning high tide had not been as bad as predicted and had passed without major incident, though there had been minor flooding around the coast.

However, it said high winds and large waves were still a threat.

High winds have also caused considerable damage and disruption, blowing off garage roofs in Devon and west Wales, uprooting trees and bringing down power lines.

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7,000 homes in south-west England and 3,000 in Wales are without power.

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The Tamar Bridge has been closed to high-sided vehicles.

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Wind speed of 82mph recorded in Berry Head in Brixham, south Devon.

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In the Newport area, 170 people had to evacuate a caravan site overnight amid fears of flooding and structural damage.

Elsewhere in the UK, high winds are expected to cause disruption, with wind speeds of 42mph recorded at Heathrow, 63mph on the east coast of Northern Ireland, 49mph in Crosby, Merseyside, and 46mph in Birmingham.

The storm is expected to cause travel disruption. The RAC is advising drivers to be prepared for hazardous driving conditions over the next few days.


Several roads are blocked in Wales and south-west England and flooding on the Surrey stretch of the M25 is causing severe delays.

The Met Office warns rail delays are likely, with the worst weather expected to strike on Monday afternoon. A 50mph speed limit is in force on some lines and there are severe delays to some London trains because of weather disruption in Surrey.

British Airways cancelled several short-haul and domestic flights from Heathrow Airport on Sunday night, and both Heathrow and Gatwick advised travellers to check with airlines before leaving home.

P&O Ferries cancelled a Sunday sailing from Portsmouth to Bilbao, and another from Bilbao to Portsmouth on 11 March. Channel crossings to France and crossings between Wales and Ireland have been cancelled and the Port of Dover is closed due to hurricane-force 80mph winds.

The north east of England and parts of Scotland are also facing another menace - snow, with snow ploughs out on some roads.

It was expected to turn to heavy rain later on Monday but early flurries, coupled with driving winds, caused treacherous conditions on the A66 between Co Durham and Cumbria.

Well it's windy down here on the south-east coast, I would love to go and take pictures of the waves... just gotta get the boytoy out of bed! Ha ha!