A helicopter rescue has been carried out off Dover after a cargo ship collided with a barge as Storm Angus swept across southern England.

Eleven members of the 23-man crew were airlifted from the 200m-long Saga Sky after the hull was damaged and it began taking on water, the Maritime and Coastguard agency said.

It lost power and steering after colliding with the other vessel, which was loaded with rocks three miles off the coast.

Two helicopters and lifeboats from Dover and Dungeness were sent to deal with what the coastguard called a major incident.

Image: Damage to the hull can be clearly seen

The severe weather meant that the cargo vessel was swept onto the Varne sand bank, but the remaining 12 crew members were later able to move into clearer waters.


There is not thought to be any risk of pollution from the ship, although this will continue to be monitored. It is currently anchored and will be moved to port after further inspections.

Storm Angus lashes southern England

Up to 2,000 properties in Devon and elsewhere in the south west of the country were left without power after high winds and heavy rain battered the coast.

Some electricity supplies have since been restored.

Winds from Storm Angus, the first of the season to be named, peaked at 84mph at Guernsey Airport.

Flooding after Storm Angus hits Devon

The strongest gusts to hit the mainland, 80mph, were recorded at Langdon Bay on the Kent coast on Sunday morning.

Winds of 68mph hit Dover, and more than two inches (53mm) of rain was logged in Exeter in Devon, including 10mm in one hour.

Devon and Cornwall Police declared a "major incident" at 4.15am, evacuating the Mill on the Mole chalet park after the River Mole burst its banks At its peak, the flood water there was 4ft deep.

In Swanage, the fire service said there has been damage to the sea wall and advised people to avoid the area.

High winds hindered firefighters as they battled to tackle what was described as a major fire on Bognor seafront in West Sussex.

Image: Cars drive through flash flooding in Plympton, Devon. Pic: Matt Gilley

A takeaway and a disused nightclub were extensively damaged and 30 residents were evacuated from nearby flats.

The Met Office has issued an amber "be prepared" warning for the southwest of England on Monday because of the risk of up to 30mm of rain falling in a few hours.

There is also a less severe yellow "be aware" warning of heavy, persistent rain for northern England and Wales on Monday.

The Environment Agency has several flood warnings in place.

:: The latest forecast

Sky News weather presenter Kirsty McCabe said: ''During Sunday evening and overnight, heavy rain and strong winds will push northwards across much of England and Wales, with hill snow for Wales and the Pennines.

"Clear, cold and frosty elsewhere with freezing fog patches, and showers in the far north.

"Outbreaks of rain and hill snow will affect much of England, Wales and later eastern parts of Ireland on Monday.

"The rain will be heavy at times, leading to a risk of flooding in southwest England, Wales and later on northeast England."