Floods

The military is on standby to help in Somerset where officials warn rain this weekend could make flooding there even worse. Parts of southern England have already seen the wettest January on record.

Anne McIntosh, chair of the environment committee, says the floods in Somerset are of “biblical proportions” and she is trying to establish if money has been cut from the river dredging budget.

Angry residents living in the Somerset Levels accuse Environment Secretary Owen Paterson of a “publicity stunt” when he visits the flood hit area.

After weeks of flooding, and with more rain predicted Sedgemoor district council in the Somerset Levels declares a major incident in a bid to get long-term help from central government.

Sweeping budget cuts could affect the Environment Department’s ability to respond to emergencies such as the current flooding, MPs warn.

Storms batter the west coast of the UK, bringing high winds and flooding, as questions are asked about the government’s funding of flood defences.

Powerful winds and high tides cause widespread flooding across the UK. This video footage shows what has happened.

The Environment Agency issues 17 severe flood warnings with another stormy spell of weather expected to bring a significant risk of tidal flooding in the coming days.

At least four people have died, thousands of homes are without power, and the transport network is in chaos, as storms batter the UK.

Homes evacuated, roads flooded and bridges collapsed: parts of north east England are recovering after a downpour of heavy rain was unleashed.

Flash floods have left eight dead and 133,000 seeking shelter in evacuation centres, following days of torrential rain across the main island of Luzon. In some places, the floodwater was chest-deep.

Typhoon Utor’s torrential rains have caused severe flooding across Guangdong province in southern China. The worst affected areas have had around 60cm of rain, with homes and crops destroyed.