Stormy weather to batter Britain (From This Is Lancashire)

Stormy weather to batter Britain

5:53pm Friday 13th November 2009

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Britain was braced for flooding and damage from gale-force winds as forecasters issued severe weather warnings about the worst storm of the year so far.

Weather experts advised those planning Saturday shopping trips and days out to stay indoors as the country is battered by winds of up to 80mph. Those living in coastal regions have been warned of the risk of flooding.

The winds will be strong enough to cause damage, including bringing down trees and branches, forecasters warned.

In Sussex, boats were being deployed to help workers stranded by flood water in four units on the Burrell Road industrial estate, in Haywards Heath. A West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "There has been a hell of a lot of water this afternoon, amounting to about 2ft in total."

The worst of the weather is expected overnight and into the morning with winds slowly easing over the course of the day, the Met Office said. Wales, southern and eastern England are likely to bear the brunt of the storm.

There is expected to be some let-up in the rain and winds on Sunday but the storm is due to give us another battering on Monday, posing the risk of disruption to the return to work after the weekend.

The Environment Agency said that high tides, strong winds and tall waves meant there was a risk of sea flooding in Hampshire, West Sussex, Dorset and South Wales. Widespread flood watches and some flood warnings are also expected over the weekend for rivers in the south west of England and south Wales.

Stephen Davenport of MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "This is the strongest storm we have had this year but it is just an autumnal storm, not untypical for this time of year."

The wild weather has already caused disruption in some areas of the country. Passengers faced delays and cancellations after the heavy rain caused rocks to slide on to rail tracks, closing a busy line in the Chepstow area of south east Wales. Services running between Newport and Gloucester were affected, along with cross-country trains between Nottingham and Cardiff with buses replacing trains.

Firefighters in Kent dealt with some minor flooding and assisted an elderly woman stuck in a car in Hunton after surface water rose to the vehicle's wheel arches. Some cross-Channel sailings were disrupted due to the rough seas and winds gusting up to force 10, the Port of Dover said.

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