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Fresh storms in UK kill two

  • Two people have died and Britain’s coastal communities have been battered by high winds and huge waves as widespread flooding continues to bring misery to thousands.

A cruise ship passenger died after 130km/h winds whipped up freak waves in the English Channel and a woman was killed when part of a building collapsed on to a car in central London.

More than 30 people had to be rescued by emergency services and the army from a seafront restaurant in Milford on Sea, Hampshire after wind-blown shingle shattered windows and the sea flooded it.

There is major disruption across Britain’s road and rail networks, with hundreds of trees uprooted across roads and rail tracks. Many train services have been cancelled.

The Environment Agency and emergency services continue to battle with the latest instalment of the worst winter storms in living memory.

Some 22 severe flood warnings are in place, issued for coastal communities from Cornwall to Hampshire, Gloucester and the Thames Valley, where rivers remain at their highest levels for decades.

Communities across the country have been using sandbags and makeshift barriers to protect their homes and businesses from the floodwaters.

On Friday the Duke of Cambridge and his brother Prince Harry joined in the emergency relief as they helped fill sandbags in Datchet, Berkshire.

Forecasters are warning of more heavy rainfall and gale-force winds on Saturday. Southern England will see between 10mm-20mm, while the South West and south Wales could see up to 40mm, the Met Office said.

Winds have wrought fresh havoc, with gusts of up to 130km/h hitting exposed parts of the south coast.

Lymington coastguard, fire services and the army rescued 32 people from the Marine Restaurant in Milford on Sea, Hampshire, at 10pm on Friday, evacuating them in an army vehicle.

In central London, a woman died and three other people were injured when the fascia of a building collapsed on to a car opposite Holborn underground station.

A man and a woman were freed from the car but the woman died at the scene, London Ambulance Service said. A man in his 20s was taken to hospital with leg injuries. He is in a stable condition.

An 85-year-old man died on Friday after the 22,000-tonne Marco Polo cruise ship was hit by a freak wave in the English Channel.

Water crashed through a window, injuring a number of people. The man was airlifted off the vessel along with a woman in her 70s, but later died. A number of other passengers received minor injuries and were treated on board.

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