Floods

Britain is hit with weather chaos, with the west of the UK experiencing winds of over 100mph and more heavy rain raising the risk of flooding. Police confirm the fatality of one man.

“What lies beneath” is quickly becoming “what lies above”, as the UK floods bring new problems – including groundwater rising through the earth, bringing with it sewage.

From the sandbagged in Surrey to the Somerset evacuees: victims of the floods are documenting the worst of the storms.

Stuart Webb reports from Cornwall, where the fishing and tourism industries are reeling from months of bad weather.

It is not yet clear how much it will cost to repair homes damaged by floods in the west country and Thames Valley, but the bill will be substantial – and insurance premiums may rise.

Hydrology expert Andrew McKenzie braves the floods (without waders) to tell Channel 4 News that the floods are “quite probably” caused by climate change.

Magician Paul Daniels tells Channel 4 News that he believes authorities have been “unprepared” for the flooding crisis, and says things have got worse for his home if dredging had not been stopped.

Watch: We journey at speed from the Thames barrier, which protects central London, down the river into flooded Surrey.

Lamorna cove’s tourist trade could be badly hit after the Cornish village’s 1840s sea wall was ripped apart in last week’s storms. And more bad weather is on the way in the coming days.

As a power cut hits flood-stricken Datchet, David Cameron promises that money is no object in tackling the crisis. But could its scale have been averted by spending more before now?

Homes in Sunbury-on-Thames may be underwater but residents can take comfort that Environment Agency facilities are on their doorstep. Except EA land has been sold to build… more homes.

Jon Snow takes a boat into the heart of the Thames flooding crisis, to meet people whose homes and businesses are submerged. He finds people angry at the amount of help they are getting.

David Cameron denies the government did not prioritise flood prevention. “I don’t accept that,” he tells Gary Gibbon. “We have topped up [funding] when we’ve seen the events in Somerset.”

A rail passenger body says its report called for the re-routing of the south west rail line ten years ago but Network Rail thought it could “engineer its way out” of the problem.