UK winter floods: Before and after the storms
- Published
Stormy weather continues to devastate parts of the UK and forecasters warn more heavy rainfall and strong winds are on their way.
A rainy December followed by a record-breakingly wet January has left many homes flooded across southern England. Severe flood warnings remain in place for the Somerset Levels - an area particularly badly hit.
Aerial imagery and photographs from the affected areas show the extent of the damage caused.
Homes in the village of Moorland, on the Somerset Levels, have been evacuated amid forecasts of more rain. The water level rose by about one metre overnight on Thursday, breaching temporary flood defences in the early hours of Friday.
The area has been effectively cut off for a number of weeks and the Royal Marines have be drafted in to help with the sandbag defences.
The villages of Muchelney and Thorney, also on the Somerset Levels, have also been badly hit. Teams from the Environment Agency are continuing to pump nearly three million tonnes of water away.
Communities and flood defences along the Devon and Dorset coasts remain vulnerable after being battered by the storms and risk of more devastation.
Waves caused huge damage to the railway line in Dawlish, which is expected to take weeks to fix.
Wales hasn't escaped either. Porthcawl has seen enormous waves. More heavy rain and gale force winds are forecast to batter the area over the coming days.
Further east in Brighton, a section of the derelict Victorian West Pier crumbled into the sea.
Opened in 1866, the pier closed in 1975. In 2002, a huge storm resulted in the collapse of the south-east corner of the Concert Hall and a year later it was targeted by arsonists.
