Severe weather to continue to batter UK

Hurricane-force winds had battered the UK on Wednesday, leaving tens of thousands of homes in England and Wales without power. The bad weather is set to return to return on Friday with more torrential rain, violent gales and heavy snow.

According to Sky News, the bad weather is likely to hamper efforts to fight flooding in the worst-hit areas of the Somerset Levels and Thames Valley.

However it will not be as severe as the hurricane force winds of Wild Wednesday, but several areas are expected to see gusts of up to 130kph in the coming days.

The relentless rain is also expected to continue, giving little chance for river levels to drop with Wales and the South Wales likely to be worst affected.

Another depression will then sweep across the country on Monday after a brief respite on Sunday, bringing further downpours.

A third storm is then expected to smash into the country from the Atlantic next Thursday, bringing more gales and wet weather resulting in the wettest winter ever recorded.

Things may start to dry up into the last week of February, bringing some respite for the worst-hit areas.

Meanwhile flood-hit residents have reportedly been charged by local authorities for sandbags as the country braces for more gale force winds set to strike the country soon.

Others allege the councils have imposed a limit on the number of sandbags distributed to each household which was meant to help residents save their homes from the floodwaters despite Prime Minister David Cameron’s pledge that “money is no object” to the relief effort.

Local authorities however have denied this, saying they have more than enough supplied to meet local needs with volunteers and military support on the ground to make them ready.

The country’s Met office had issued yellow warnings for snow, wind and ice across many parts of the UK on Thursday while the Environment Agency had put 14 severe flood warnings in place for the South East, covering regions close to the River Thames.

Severe flood warnings mean there is a danger to life.

Two further severe flood warnings are in place for the Somerset Levels.

There are around 400 flood warnings and alerts in place for the rest of the UK, meaning people in the affected areas are urged to take immediate action or to be prepared.