TORRENTIAL rain has continued to cause havoc across large parts of Britain, with the threat of further flooding and disruption from the severe weather.
The south west of England and south Wales have taken the brunt of the latest storms, which have left thousands of homes without power and have forced residents to leave their properties.
The Environment Agency (EA) had six severe flood warnings in place - meaning a danger to life - in south-west England. It warned there was a "high risk" of coastal flooding in Dorset, Devon and of further river flooding on the Somerset Levels and Moors.
In Dawlish, between Exeter and Cornwall, a section of seawall under the coastal railway line collapsed and two people had to be rescued from a car.
Scotland escaped the worst of the weather but heavy rain continued to fall in many parts. In Aberdeenshire, sheep marooned by flood water at the Mill of Strachan near Banchory had to be led to dry land while the Met Office issued an alert for Central, Tayside and Fife regions.
Another band of heavy rain is due to sweep across southern Britain today into tomorrow. A separate area of low pressure is then expected to bring more rain and very strong winds on Saturday.
In response to the crisis, Prime Minister David Cameron announced an extra £100 million would be spent tackling the aftermath of the floods and there were "no restrictions" on the help available to stricken communities.
But Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "Many of those affected feel the Government's response has been slow and that more could have been done sooner."
The EA said that since Friday around 328 homes have been flooded while more than 122,600 have been protected.
The RNLI warned of the danger of large and potentially hazardous waves along the coast.
Coastal safety officer Will Stephens said: "Rough seas and extreme weather might look exciting, but getting too close can be risky.
"So respect the water and, in particular, avoid exposed places where big waves could sweep you off your feet."
Andy Page, Met Office chief meteorologist, said: "The unsettled weather will continue over the coming days with heavy rain across the southern half of Britain on Thursday evening into Friday, and that will be quickly followed by another storm moving in early on Saturday."
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