Risk of further flooding in UK as Xynthia approaches

Lydia Warren in the Independent (UK): Flood warnings were issued across much of Britain last night as the tail end of the Atlantic storm that caused so many fatalities on mainland Europe threatened to batter the UK. The storm, nicknamed Xynthia, is expected to brush Britain en route to Scandinavia.

The Environment Agency issued an alert of serious flooding which could put lives and property at risk in Cambridgeshire. Suffolk, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Bedfordshire were also put on alert. North Yorkshire was also warned of a risk of flooding, in particular the coastal village of Sandsend.Roker, Sunderland, was placed on standby. The Thames Barrier was raised to reduce the risk of flooding to the west of the capital.

Two flood watches were in force in Scotland for the east coast from Berwick to Peterhead, and the Solway Firth from the Esk Estuary to Loch Ryan. One hundred homes in Aberdeenshire were evacuated following landslide warnings. Two skiers were caught in an avalanche in Glencoe after heavy snowfall….

Sunderland in the UK, now under flood warning