"Look, you can never be 100 per cent sure about links" he replied, "but the scientists have said the storms are going to get more and more and more intense and more and more often."

He continued: "We've had four storms within a month, all far greater than have ever, ever, ever happened in history.

"Sadly, I think this is the start of things to come."

Hitting out at Donald Trump, he continued:"Look, climate change is real. Ninety-nine per cent of scientists know it's real.

"The whole world knows it's real except for maybe one person in the White House."