The harbour wall disappeared under the rising tide and shopkeepers were trapped in their premises

Scarborough's RNLI lifeboat crew took all weather lifeboats to safety as the boat house flooded

Emergency workers survey the scene as Scarborough seafront is flooded in the tidal surge

More than 230 flood alerts were in place across England and Wales, with 6,000 homes expected to suffer from flooding in the next 24 hours.

It could be the worst flood since 1953, when the region was the scene of Britain's deadliest natural disaster of the 20th century - the Big Flood - which left 307 dead and 40,000 homeless, although defences have significantly improved since then.

The lorry driver died and four other people were hurt when his HGV fell onto cars on the A801 in West Lothian as winds disrupted transport networks.

The force warned the public not to ignore flood warnings, saying some people had been risking their lives by running into the tide.



The adverse weather has also caused chaos to the rail network.

Surge: A rescue team pulls a boat with an evacuee on board through flood water in The High Street in Boston, Lincolnshire

The Boston Standard reports the water has reached the highest levels in living memory

A police spokesman said: 'There is life-threatening risk to residents in certain parts of Boston. Flooding has already been reported in some streets in Boston as the Haven has risen substantially'

This morning services for Scotland and parts of the north of England were suspended. Trains were halted at their nearest stations and passengers told to disembark after Network Rail said debris on lines and damage to equipment meant it was not safe to operate any services.

National Rail said train services in Scotland are starting to run again as routes are cleared of debris. However, services north of Carlisle and Newcastle are still suspended.

The Met Office said the Atlantic storm brought severe gales of between 60mph and 80mph across Scotland and northern parts of England, and some mountainous regions in Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire reported speeds of around 140mph.

Scarborough seafront was last night described as a 'scene from the Titanic' as the resort's entire Golden Mile was swamped by the freak tides.

Fishing crews leapt aboard their vessels to stop them being wrecked as pounding waves breached the harbour wall. Arcades and cafes were flooded along the entire South Bay. Deck chair stacks were lifted off the beach onto the prom.

Showers of sparks were seen as the waves shorted out electric mains. The lifeboat station was abandoned as a deluge of water poured through the doors.

Rising: A worker brushes flood water from a cafe on Newcastle Quayside after the River Tyne bursts its banks this evening, causing major road closures and leaving workers trapped in nearby offices

Firefighters doing house to house checks in Blakeney, Norfolk, after a tidal surge hit tonight

At Blakeney in north Norfolk, the water breached the quay at about 5.30pm. Within 30 minutes the floods had advanced some 165ft (50m) up the village's main street. Water reached window height and at least one car was seen being swept away.

Allan Urquhart, who has lived on the seafront for eight years, took a rowing boat to the King's Arms pub to collect a friend.

He said: 'I'm going to row back to the house and we'll stay upstairs tonight.

'We've put sandbags in place so hopefully we'll be OK. I'm as confident as I can be.

'This is the worst flooding I've seen so it could be a difficult night for lots of people.'

Staff were seen bailing water from the window of the King's Arms as the surge reached bar height.Piles of fish boxes were swept away and split open, filling the air with the stench of the morning's catch. The harbour wall disappeared under the rising tide. Shopkeepers were trapped in their premises.

The main lifeboat was parked outside the lifeboat house. One rescue worker said: 'Waves are just coming through the lifeboat house so we are just going to leave it there.

'There is no harbour. It is all under water.'

Meanwhile, Humberside Police launched a search and rescue operation for three people who may have fallen into the River Humber close to Flixborough. They were later found safe and well.

Fear: An elderly lady and her pet dog are rescued from their flooded property in Rhyl, north Wales

Search: RNLI rescue workers in Rhyl work through the night searching flooded properties for people not already evacuated Emergency services are preparing for the next high tide

Inky depths: Kevin Close bails floodwater from his tattoo parlour in Whitby, North Yorkshire

Mother Gill Smith, fleeing the seafront with her daughter, said: 'We came down to see the sea and got a scene from Titanic.'

The Eastern Daily Press reported coastguards have rescued six fishermen from Cromer pier in Norfolk.



The Ministry of Defence said 'a small number of personnel' had been drafted in to help local authorities deal with flooding in Norfolk.

Major Simon Ward, of the Light Dragoons, told the Eastern Daily Press that 65 troops from B and C squadrons are on stand-by at Gorleston fire station.

He said: 'We're still awaiting tasking from the fire service, but we've undergone some training in flood barrier erection and are waiting to assist should we need to.'



The tidal surge which will affect the Suffolk coastline later tonight is likely to arrive up to an hour earlier than predicted – and may be slightly higher.

The next high tide at Lowestoft was expected at about 11pm.



However, the tidal surge has hit parts of Norfolk about an hour early – and in some cases has been 200-300mm higher than estimated. Police officers have now finished knocking on the doors of residents whose properties are likely to be affected.



A welcome to Cleethorpes Beach sign sees water underneath it as the River Humber surges onto the Central Promenade Creeping: The Beach restaurant in Cleethorpes sees the River Humber encroaching on its parking area

Taken away: Emergency rescue service workers evacuate residents in an inflatable boat in flood water on a residential street in Rhyl, North Wales

Bringing her dog: People are rescued by the RNLI from the floods in Rhyl as heavy seas and high tides sweep across the country

Helped: People are rescued from the floods in Rhyl. Winds disrupted transport and power supplies in Scotland and threatened coastal flooding in England

Debris: Floods in New Brighton in Merseyside after high winds. A car was washed into the wall at the Fort Perch Rock car park Flotsam: Debris coats the water at New Brighton. Emergency services were stretched as they tried to rescue people

Teamwork: Floods in the seaside resort New Brighton on the Wirral in Merseyside after high winds at high tide on the coastal road

Walk this way: Road markings are impossible to see in New Brighton, Merseyside, as the 410 bus tries to make its way through

Making it through: A police officer shields herself from the storms as huge waves engulf Whitehaven harbour in Cumbria this morning

A number of flights have also been disrupted by the bad weather.

Motorists in Scotland have also been warned not to travel due to ‘extremely dangerous’ road conditions.

Transport Scotland has escalated its travel warning to stage four red, advising people to avoid travelling, particularly in high-sided vehicles.

Closures, fallen trees, minor accidents and incidents of flash flooding are affecting the road network in the south, west, central and Perthshire areas.



There were reports that a supermarket had been looted in one of the worst hit areas of the North West.

Police issued a warning for all members of the public to stay indoors on the Wirral, Merseyside as New Brighton was hit by 30 foot high waves. New Brighton was trending on Twitter yesterday as more and more dramatic footage continued to emerge from the floods.

Reports on Twitter and Facebook said that the supmarket had been targeted by shoplifters and looters.

Blown over: A woman struggled was blown off her feet while walking across the road today in Leeds, West Yorkshire, as the country was battered by high winds. She had been walking near Bridgewater Place. Leeds City Council closed the road past the 367ft tower after predictions that wind speeds in the area could reach 75mph

Holding on: Pedestrians cling onto poles as they are battered by gale force winds by Bridgewater Place in Leeds, West Yorkshire

A picture taken by a passer by showed how staff at the store had tried to hold back floods with shopping baskets full of goods.

The Morrisons store at the seaside resort's Marine Point retail park was forced to close amid widespread chaos. A Morrisons spokesman confimed that the store had been forced to close but denied reports of looting.

He said: 'We closed our New Brighton store earlier today after police advised people not to approach the area.



'There have been no reports of looting made by staff at the store, but our area manager is travelling there to access the extent of the flood damage.'

Safe: Coastguard rescue workers check vehicles in a flooded car wash during a storm surge in Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth Borough Council dumped dozens of tonnes of sand at four distribution points in the town and handed out 20,000 bags so local people could fill their own sandbags

Protection: Sandbags are placed to protect an amusement arcade in Great Yarmouth

Residents fill sandbags on the beach in Great Yarmouth. The coastline from Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk to Clacton, Essex - including Great Yarmouth - is 'particularly at risk' and thousands of families battled to protect their homes by filling up sandbags



Chris Norman, an engineer, who was walking along New Brighton promanade when the worst of the storm hit said he joined some colleagues to rescue people from the water.

He said: 'This storm was like nothing I've ever seen, it came out of nowhere and the water started rising beyond control.

'The wind was incredibly vicious and I was with two colleagues when we saw people starting to get dragged into the rising tide. We helped pull several people out of the water who were just trying to get across the road opposite Morrisons.

'The shops all flooded-A lady pushed a pram with baby in through it. A littler scary at times but we did what we could to help.

'The Fire brigade arrived, but they couldn't really do anything. The coast guards blocked the roads off, it was like a biblical flood - so fast.'

