Floods: Man Dies As More Rain Expected

A man has died after becoming trapped in his 4x4 in floods after large parts of the UK were hit by strong winds and heavy rain.

Forecasters said there would be a respite on today with fewer showers, and drier and brighter conditions - but the weather is expected to get wetter again this weekend with gale force winds.

Around 70 flood warnings and about 150 less serious flood alerts are in place for rivers.

The areas most affected by the heavy downpours were Wales and southwest England.

But the majority of the UK was hit by the storms as they were pushed eastwards throughout Thursday, causing flash flooding.

Hundreds of drivers were stranded, thousands of homes were without power and more than 100 people were evacuated as winds reached more than 86mph.

South-west England was one of the worst hit areas in the floods

In Torquay, Devon, several homes were evacuated after severe weather overnight resulted in a landslide. Part of a cliff face was hit by a landslip after netting was washed away.

In Chew Stoke, Somerset, emergency services received a call last night reporting a car was wedged under a bridge near a ford.

Fire crews and police went to the scene where they found a man in the 4x4. The unnamed victim was pronounced dead on the way to hospital.

Chew Stoke resident David Smith, 76, said it was the second time in 24 hours in which a 4x4 had got into trouble crossing the ford.

Mr Smith said: "About 24 hours ago, a Land Rover came past here and I flagged him down and told him he ought not to try and cross the ford, but he did and he was swept away in the middle of the ford.

The man died in his car in Chew Stoke, Somerset

"Fortunately, his vehicle was caught by one of the bollards on the road and he was able to climb out of the window on to the roof.

"We tied a rope around him, from my garden, just in case he was swept away and sort of secured him until the fire brigade arrived about 20 minutes later."

Amid the wet and windy weather, thousands of commuters also suffered disruptions, with many train services in the South West and connections to London Paddington either cancelled or delayed.

While the rainfall overnight was lighter compared to earlier in the day, much of it fell on already saturated ground.

Sky's weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said there would be "drier and brighter conditions today with much lighter winds than yesterday".

"Rain from overnight across eastern parts of East Anglia and the southeast of England will clear this morning to leave central and eastern England dry with sunny spells, although it could remain quite cloudy to the south-east of London.

Driving conditions have been treacherous

"Sunshine too for Wales and the west of England but also some sharp showers near coastal areas."

But she warned that on Saturday "the rain will become heavy and persistent through the afternoon with winds strengthening as well".

Ghaffar added: "There will be the risk of further localised flooding as the heavy rain falls on already saturated ground. Overnight Saturday there will be stormy conditions across central and southern parts of the UK with severe gale force winds."

The Met Office said some areas saw up to 60mm of rain during Thursday, causing river levels to rise and surface water flooding.

Western Power said 2,500 customers in the South West and 500 in Wales were without power because of high winds bringing down power lines, but that it was working to reconnect them as quickly as possible.

The AA said the last few days have been some of its busiest for flood-related call-outs, with many roads impassable.

:: Send us your flooding photos and videos.

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