Weather: Thousands Evacuated Amid Tidal Surge

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes as a tidal surge hits coastal towns along the east coast of Britain.

It comes after a powerful Atlantic storm - which claimed two lives - with winds of up to 140mph caused widespread disruption.

The Environment Agency has more than 230 flood alerts in place across England and Wales, including 43 severe flood warnings which are only issued when flooding poses a "significant threat to life".

 :: Watch Sky News HD for all the latest on the disruption

Water breaches the sea wall on Great Yarmouth's promenade

Officials say communities from Northumberland to the Thames Estuary and Kent, in addition to those on the Irish Sea coast from Cumbria down to Cheshire, could see significant coastal flooding as the coastal surge moves south.

Last night, Humberside Police said a search and rescue operation had been launched for three people who may have fallen into the River Humber close to Flixborough.

An Environment Agency map showing the worst-affected areas

Describing the storm as a "critical incident", the force warned "the worst is not over yet" with further disruption expected with the morning tide.

It also appealed to the public not ignore flood warnings, saying some people had been risking their lives by running into the tide.

One man died after he was struck by a falling tree in a park in Retford, Nottinghamshire, and a lorry driver was killed when his HGV toppled on to a number of cars in West Lothian.

Across the country more than 100,000 properties have been hit by power cuts.

The Port of Dover has been closed because of adverse weather conditions and the loss of some electrical power.

People fill sandbags as high tide approaches in Great Yarmouth

Tens of thousands of homes along coastal areas in East Anglia, the Midlands and Kent have been evacuated after officials warned that the lives of people in the regions could be at risk.

In Norfolk, 9,000 homes have been evacuated, mainly in the Great Yarmouth area, as officials attempt to stem the damage from the coastal surge.

At Blakeney in north Norfolk, the water breached the quay at about 5.30pm on Thursday.

Forecasters say the storm could be one of the most powerful in decades

Within 30 minutes the floods had advanced some 165ft (50m) up the village's main street. Water reached window height and at least one car was seen being swept away.

Allan Urquhart, who lives on the seafront, took a rowing boat to the King's Arms pub to collect a friend.

He said: "I'm going to row back to the house and we'll stay upstairs tonight. We've put sandbags in place so hopefully we'll be OK. I'm as confident as I can be.

"This is the worst flooding I've seen so it could be a difficult night for lots of people."

The Scarborough seafront

An Environment Agency spokesman said that in some areas sea levels could be higher than those during the devastating floods of 1953 - which battered the east coast of England and claimed the lives of hundreds of people.

Defences built since then - including the Thames and Hull Barriers - mean that many parts of the country are much better protected, he said.

However, some coastal flood defences could be "overtopped" by the combined effect of high tides, high winds and a large tidal surge, he added.

The Met Office said the Atlantic storm brought severe gales of between 60mph and 80mph across Scotland and northern parts of England, and some mountainous regions in Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire reported speeds of around 140mph.

The adverse weather has also caused chaos to the transport network, with rail services for Scotland and parts of the North of England suspended. A number of flights have also been disrupted.

Lifeboats rescue people in Rhyl

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, who has chaired two Cobra meetings, said: "It is really important that people take steps to prepare for flooding, which is likely to occur overnight.

"Clearly our priority is public safety and I urge people to act on the advice from the environment agency, police and local agencies."

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