UK to face more storms

Severe weather across the northern UK is expected to continue today and tomorrow after a weekend of storms and floods left three people dead, two missing and 250,000 homes without power.

The Met. Office forecast heavy rains and gales of up to 90 mph which are likely to threaten homes and make driving extremely dangerous.

Cumbria was hardest hit over the weekend, particularly in the Carlisle area, where the worst flooding in over 180 years left three dead and 2,500 properties still waterlogged yesterday with a large number of residents without power.

Cumbria Police said they were investigating the deaths of 63-year-old man who was crushed when a barn wall fell on his caravan north of Carlisle and two elderly women whose bodies were recovered in the town.

Two men swept away by overflowing rivers, one in West Yorkshire and the other in Morayshire, Scotland, were still missing and searches were continuing.

Twelve flood warnings remained in place and the Energy Networks Association said 22,000 homes across the country were still without power.

The weekend weather left a P&0 ferry with 100 passengers and crew on board stranded off the coast of Scotland after it ran aground and three major highways closed due to 25 lorries tumbling over in the high speed winds.