Forecasters predict gales of up to 70mph and problems for coastal areas at high tide

Flood warnings have been put in place in south-western and north-eastern England for Thursday evening, with problems expected around high tides.

Communities across most of southern England and Wales were warned to expect gales on Friday and Saturday, with forecasters saying gusts of wind of up to 70mph could bring down trees and cause travel disruption.

Forecasters said that coastal areas could see the most prolonged spells of strong winds on Friday and Saturday, while the rain could cause surface water problems. The problems were expected to persist into Saturday in England, though the Met Office expected most of Wales to be in the clear by then.

On Thursday night, the Environment Agency issued a flood warning, its second most severe, for the harbour at Lyme Regis, Dorset. The town is only about 25 miles from Dawlish, where the railway line was heavily damaged by flooding in 2014 and it was issued with a less severe flood alert.

Photographs showed trains on the coastal stretch of line between Exeter and Plymouth crashing through waves as they made their way through Dawlish on Thursday afternoon.

Flood warnings, which require “immediate action”, were also issued elsewhere in Devon, as well as in Somerset and Yorkshire. At West Bay Harbour, near to Lyme Regis, people were told to avoid the coastline and expect flooding in low lying areas.



Problems at high tide were also expected on the North Sea coast at Bridlington, while forecasters said heavy rain was likely to cause problems near the River Parrett in Somerset.

The Met office said: “Minor flooding impacts are forecast over the high tides on Thursday evening and Friday. Large and high energy waves combined with strong winds are likely to cause spray overtopping which may lead to flooding of low-lying land and roads.”

The Environment Agency put more than 40 lesser flood alerts in place in various areas of the UK for Thursday evening.



Later in the week and into the weekend, the Met office predicted, coastal areas would experience 50mph to 60mph gusts, with some areas battered by winds of 70mph. “There remains a low likelihood of gusts reaching 80mph in some exposed southern counties,” they said. Inland areas were expected to see a “relatively short period of 40-50mph gusts”.