The UK is bracing for more storms, high tides and gale-force winds on Sunday as communities already hit by a trail of devastation begin to assess the damage.More than 200 homes have been flooded along the west of the UK from Cornwall to Scotland, with miles of coastline battered and roads left under water.
Prime Minister David Cameron has praised the “great work” of emergency services and the Environment Agency (EA) in responding to flooding.
The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for rain in the south of England and snow in the north of England and southern Scotland.
Up to 40mm of rain could fall on higher ground on Sunday and there are more warnings of flooding and travel disruption.
The EA warned that the south and west coasts of England and the Severn estuary still remain at risk of coastal flooding into next week.
Communities along the North East, including Whitby and South Shields, could also see flooding as well as parts of the south coast including Portsmouth.
It comes as searches resumed in south Devon for missing 18-year-old university student Harry Martin, who was last seen leaving his home in Newton Ferrers, near Plymouth, on Thursday to take photographs of the weather.
Two people have already died in the storms. 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.
And a woman died after being rescued from the sea in Croyde Bay, north Devon.
There are currently 99 flood warnings and 256 flood alerts in place in England and Wales.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said: “The worst of the bad weather is not yet over so I’ve chaired an emergency meeting of all departments involved to make sure the preparations to respond are in hand.”
The bad weather has caused widespread damage in coastal areas, including the sea front in Aberystwyth, west Wales, and damaged rail lines in north Wales.
