Storm-hit UK warned worse to come

Winds and torrential rain left one person dead and forced hundreds from their homes — as David Cameron promised the Government would “ensure everything is being done to help”.

The prime minister’s comments came as the Environment Agency revealed that more than 800 homes have been flooded, with thousands of motorists rescued from water-logged roads.

A woman was killed when she was crushed by a tree as wild winds whipped southern England, bringing the week’s weather-related death toll to two.

Last night, forecasters warned worse may come with further rainfall and 60mph winds expected overnight, and experts warning conditions pose a “serious threat to life”.

Rainfall is estimated to be around 15mm across the spine of Britain today, less than the 30mm of rain in pockets of south western England.

Cameron yesterday Tweeted: “Shocking scenes of flooding in Cornwall and around the country... Govt will help ensure everything is being done to help.”

The Environment Agency has continued to issue warnings, with over 500 alerts now in place. One severe flood warning remains in place for the River Cober in Helston, Cornwall.

A 21-year-old woman became the second victim to die as a result of this week’s weather after she was killed in Western Way, Exeter, after becoming trapped under a fallen spruce tree which injured two others.

It follows the death of a man on Thursday, after his car became wedged under a bridge near a ford in Chew Stoke, Somerset.

There were serious problems across Britain and Wales, with Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Wiltshire badly affected yesterday.

Nathan Hudson, general manager of West Midlands Ambulance Service, appealed for members of the public to stop endangering their and rescue workers’ lives: “People who attempt to pass through flooded roads are not only putting their own lives at risk, but also the lives of the emergency services staff who have to rescue them.

“A little bit of common sense from the public will ensure that no one’s life is put in any unnecessary danger.”

Trains were cancelled between Exeter St Davids and Yeovil Junction because of a landslip at Honiton and flooding near Axminster in Devon, and replacement buses were cancelled because of severe flooding on local roads. The route is expected to reopen today.

Stephen Gilbert, the Liberal Democrat MP for St Austell and Newquay in Cornwall, said the government needs to act to ensure insurance firms are able to provide home and business owners with affordable cover: “Yet again I call on the government to reach an agreement with insurers that will keep flood insurance available and affordable.

“The last two days should be a wake-up call for a government that needs to grip this issue and do so quickly.”