Stormy weather and flooding batters Britain once again

The Environment Agency has now downgraded all severe flood warnings in the UK, leaving 99 flood warnings and 259 flood alerts across England and Wales.

The worst expected area to be affected is the South West of England.

“A second high tide will affect coastal areas this evening and people are being urged to remain vigilant,” The Environment Agency warned.

The search for the missing 18-year-old, Harry Martin, who was last seen walking in the direction of a coastal path in Membland near Plymouth, Devon after leaving his house to take pictures of the New Year storms, has resumed in Dorset.

According to BBC journalist Kevin Hay, it is estimated that 120 people have joined professional search and rescue teams to find Mr Martin.

Two people have died in the storms, including a 27-year-old man from Surrey and a woman from Croyde Bay, North Devon.

Part of a second cliff has today collapsed along the East Sussex coastline and coastguards said about 9ft of the cliff has gone into the sea.

One resident from Stoford, Salisbury, said: “The rivers have burst their banks here. There is bad flooding everywhere.”

The Environment Agency has reassured people, however, saying: “The recent coastal surge has tested over 3000km of defences in England and over 205,000 properties have been protected.”

Vanessa Smart