A woman has died after being swept out to sea by strong currents as new flood and storm warnings were issued for the South East.
Police officers, coastguard crew and lifeboat volunteers rushed to the mouth of the River Arun at Littlehampton Pier, West Sussex, where she was last seen by an eye-witness.
The pensioner, from Goring-by-Sea, was pulled out of the sea and stabilised before she was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton.
She was pronounced dead just after 9pm last night.
Surf's up: People attempt to ride the Severn Bore - one of Britain's few truly spectacular natural phenomena
Surfers attempt to ride on a rare maximum five star Severn Bore viewed from Newnham overlooking the River Severn
The shape of the Severn estuary is such that the water is funnelled into an increasingly narrow channel as the tide rises, thus forming the large wave
The Severn Bore is a large surge wave that can be seen in the estuary of the River Severn, where the tidal range is the second highest in the world
PC Andy Baynes from Littlehampton Police said: 'She was carried out to sea by strong currents.
'A lifeboat crew and HM Coastguard officers were quickly on the scene.
'The RNLI crew pulled her from the rough seas and returned her to shore where she was stabilised before being taken by ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
'Sadly, she was pronounced dead just after 9pm. Our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time.'
A Sussex Police spokesman added: 'The 67-year-old woman from Goring-by-Sea has been identified by her family, but has not yet been formally named.
'Her death is not being treated as suspicious and the matter has been passed to the coroner's officer.'
People in Somerset have already seen their communities submerged under several inches of stagnant floodwater for more than a month.
Millions of gallons are being pumped away every day from the Somerset Levels but for those living nearby, the anguish is far from over.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has promised that 'everything possible is being done' but concerned residents are calling for overflowing rivers to be dredged.
Forecasters are predicting a break in the bad weather today but experts at the Met Office have issued severe weather warnings of winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain of up to 30mm (1.2in) for the South West, southern England, south Wales and Northern Ireland from tomorrow until Wednesday.
As of this morning the Environment Agency has three severe flood warnings and warning of danger to life in place around the River Severn in the Midlands, along with 114 less severe flood warnings, caused by high tides and swollen rivers.
Significant disruption is predicted for much of the coast of Wales and south-west England and parts of south east England, the north west as well as the Yorkshire and Hull coastline will also be affected by wind, rain and high tides.
Three people are n rescued from their vehicles this morning after getting stuck in 3ft of floodwater near Ingatestone, in Essex
The owners of this car did not realise how deep the floodwater was and got stuck in Ingatestone, Essex
During this rescue a brand new Ford Kuga got stuck when the driver was going from Thurrock to Harold Wood
Terrified passengers were rescued after the bus they were travelling on was engulfed by a huge wave as it tried to get through a road closed in the storms.
The single-decker was swept off the road by the 20ft wave and came to a standstill with the driver and 13 passengers trapped inside.
Coastguards said the road had been closed because of the storms but the driver ignored diversion signs and tried to get through.
Eye-witnesses said waves were crashing over the roof of the stricken 52-seater in the village in Newgale, Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
One villager said: 'It was like a scene from a disaster movie - it was high tide and the wind was howling at 50mph.
'The people on the bus must have been scared stiff when the wave hit the side of the vehicle.
This bus has become stuck in between a flooded field and the road it was travelling on in Newgale, Pembrokeshire, west Wales
The bus which is partially lodged in a flooded field with its back wheels resting on the road in Newgale, Pembrokeshire, Wales
'The road has been closed to traffic because of the storms so no one is really sure what the bus was doing there in the first place.'
A major rescue operation was launched with coastguards, an RAF rescue helicopter, police and ambulance sent to the scene at 7.15pm on Saturday night.
The 14 people on board were led to safety by coastguards and fireman as waves continued to batter the bus.
The front of the bus was still partly submerged today and damage from the hammering it took from the waves could be seen.
The casualties were described as 'badly shaken' but uninjured.
The bus was on its way from Haverfordwest to St Davids at 7.15pm on Saturday night when it arrived in Newgale during the height of the storm.
The road through the surfing village of Newgale runs between the beach and a large campsite popular with surfers in the summer.
Ten people have been rescued after the bus they were on was hit by a wave in Newgale, Pembrokeshire, yesterday evening
But the 15ft sea wall made of pebbles was breached by violent waves on Friday night and traffic was being diverted away from the coast road.
It is believed the council were still on the scene after setting up the diversion before high tide and had had told the driver not to go through.
Derek Reynolds, 27, a regular at the Duke of Edinburgh pub in the village said: 'The bus was hit by a massive wave and swept off the road and into the camp site.
'It must have been quite scary for those on board.'
Dyfed-Powys Police yesterday confirmed they were speaking to the driver who worked for Richards Brothers coaches in Cardigan.
No one was available for comment from the bus company today.
The wreck of a trawler which sank near Newquay in Cornwall overnight after storms hit the coastline
Another dramatic rescue saw eight horses pulled from flooded fields close to the River Chelmer, Chelmsford, Essex.
The RSPCA said its inspectors rounded up five of the animals, before a specialist water rescue team were deployed to save the remaining three which had been cut off by the waters.
Inspector Nicky Thorne said the six-strong RSPCA team donned dry suits and waded into the flood water to carefully round up the horses using rope lines.
He said: 'The team worked very carefully and slowly to move the horses. In one place the horses had to go through a ditch where the water was deeper.
'They had to swim a few steps but despite being a bit wet they were none the worse for their experience.'
Vehicles make their way to help with the recovery efforts at flood hit Muchelney in Langport in Somerset
Vehicles are delivered to help with the recovery efforts in Muchelney, Langport, which has been hit with flooding
With high tides, combined with gale force winds and further heavy rain, some parts of the UK are bracing themselves for more flooding this week
Flood water and debris is seen in front of a house near Muchelney, near Langport in Somerset
People walk with a dog on the banks of the flooded River Arun today near Amberley
A flock of birds fly near a barn surrounded by flood water from the River Arun today
Flood warnings have been issued to some areas in southern England as heavy rain is forecast
Firefighters in Essex warned motorists not to try and get through flood water after seven people including three pensioners had to be rescued from vehicles stranded in their cars - one in Watery Lane, Ulting.
A spokesman said: 'Six inches of water is enough to get inside car or cause the engine to stall. And two feet is deep enough to float a vehicle.'
Two people were rescued from deep floodwater after their boat capsized and in Chaceley, near Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, yesterday.
The pair had been with a third person who swam to the flooded Yew Tree Inn at Chaceley to raise the alarm after their boat turned over.
Credit to Dailymail
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2550367/New-flood-storm-warnings-South-days-heavy-rain-set-cause-misery.html#ixzz2sBjGZiAG
Police officers, coastguard crew and lifeboat volunteers rushed to the mouth of the River Arun at Littlehampton Pier, West Sussex, where she was last seen by an eye-witness.
The pensioner, from Goring-by-Sea, was pulled out of the sea and stabilised before she was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton.
She was pronounced dead just after 9pm last night.
Surf's up: People attempt to ride the Severn Bore - one of Britain's few truly spectacular natural phenomena
Surfers attempt to ride on a rare maximum five star Severn Bore viewed from Newnham overlooking the River Severn
The shape of the Severn estuary is such that the water is funnelled into an increasingly narrow channel as the tide rises, thus forming the large wave
The Severn Bore is a large surge wave that can be seen in the estuary of the River Severn, where the tidal range is the second highest in the world
PC Andy Baynes from Littlehampton Police said: 'She was carried out to sea by strong currents. 'A lifeboat crew and HM Coastguard officers were quickly on the scene.
'The RNLI crew pulled her from the rough seas and returned her to shore where she was stabilised before being taken by ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
'Sadly, she was pronounced dead just after 9pm. Our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time.'
A Sussex Police spokesman added: 'The 67-year-old woman from Goring-by-Sea has been identified by her family, but has not yet been formally named.
'Her death is not being treated as suspicious and the matter has been passed to the coroner's officer.'
People in Somerset have already seen their communities submerged under several inches of stagnant floodwater for more than a month.
Millions of gallons are being pumped away every day from the Somerset Levels but for those living nearby, the anguish is far from over.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has promised that 'everything possible is being done' but concerned residents are calling for overflowing rivers to be dredged.
Forecasters are predicting a break in the bad weather today but experts at the Met Office have issued severe weather warnings of winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain of up to 30mm (1.2in) for the South West, southern England, south Wales and Northern Ireland from tomorrow until Wednesday.
As of this morning the Environment Agency has three severe flood warnings and warning of danger to life in place around the River Severn in the Midlands, along with 114 less severe flood warnings, caused by high tides and swollen rivers.
Significant disruption is predicted for much of the coast of Wales and south-west England and parts of south east England, the north west as well as the Yorkshire and Hull coastline will also be affected by wind, rain and high tides.
Three people are n rescued from their vehicles this morning after getting stuck in 3ft of floodwater near Ingatestone, in Essex
The owners of this car did not realise how deep the floodwater was and got stuck in Ingatestone, Essex
During this rescue a brand new Ford Kuga got stuck when the driver was going from Thurrock to Harold Wood
Terrified passengers were rescued after the bus they were travelling on was engulfed by a huge wave as it tried to get through a road closed in the storms.
The single-decker was swept off the road by the 20ft wave and came to a standstill with the driver and 13 passengers trapped inside.
Coastguards said the road had been closed because of the storms but the driver ignored diversion signs and tried to get through.
Eye-witnesses said waves were crashing over the roof of the stricken 52-seater in the village in Newgale, Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
One villager said: 'It was like a scene from a disaster movie - it was high tide and the wind was howling at 50mph.
'The people on the bus must have been scared stiff when the wave hit the side of the vehicle.
This bus has become stuck in between a flooded field and the road it was travelling on in Newgale, Pembrokeshire, west Wales
The bus which is partially lodged in a flooded field with its back wheels resting on the road in Newgale, Pembrokeshire, Wales
'The road has been closed to traffic because of the storms so no one is really sure what the bus was doing there in the first place.'
A major rescue operation was launched with coastguards, an RAF rescue helicopter, police and ambulance sent to the scene at 7.15pm on Saturday night.
The 14 people on board were led to safety by coastguards and fireman as waves continued to batter the bus.
The front of the bus was still partly submerged today and damage from the hammering it took from the waves could be seen.
The casualties were described as 'badly shaken' but uninjured.
The bus was on its way from Haverfordwest to St Davids at 7.15pm on Saturday night when it arrived in Newgale during the height of the storm.
The road through the surfing village of Newgale runs between the beach and a large campsite popular with surfers in the summer.
Ten people have been rescued after the bus they were on was hit by a wave in Newgale, Pembrokeshire, yesterday evening
But the 15ft sea wall made of pebbles was breached by violent waves on Friday night and traffic was being diverted away from the coast road.
It is believed the council were still on the scene after setting up the diversion before high tide and had had told the driver not to go through.
Derek Reynolds, 27, a regular at the Duke of Edinburgh pub in the village said: 'The bus was hit by a massive wave and swept off the road and into the camp site.
'It must have been quite scary for those on board.'
Dyfed-Powys Police yesterday confirmed they were speaking to the driver who worked for Richards Brothers coaches in Cardigan.
No one was available for comment from the bus company today.
The wreck of a trawler which sank near Newquay in Cornwall overnight after storms hit the coastline
Another dramatic rescue saw eight horses pulled from flooded fields close to the River Chelmer, Chelmsford, Essex.
The RSPCA said its inspectors rounded up five of the animals, before a specialist water rescue team were deployed to save the remaining three which had been cut off by the waters.
Inspector Nicky Thorne said the six-strong RSPCA team donned dry suits and waded into the flood water to carefully round up the horses using rope lines.
He said: 'The team worked very carefully and slowly to move the horses. In one place the horses had to go through a ditch where the water was deeper.
'They had to swim a few steps but despite being a bit wet they were none the worse for their experience.'
Vehicles make their way to help with the recovery efforts at flood hit Muchelney in Langport in Somerset
Vehicles are delivered to help with the recovery efforts in Muchelney, Langport, which has been hit with flooding
With high tides, combined with gale force winds and further heavy rain, some parts of the UK are bracing themselves for more flooding this week
Flood water and debris is seen in front of a house near Muchelney, near Langport in Somerset
People walk with a dog on the banks of the flooded River Arun today near Amberley
A flock of birds fly near a barn surrounded by flood water from the River Arun today
Flood warnings have been issued to some areas in southern England as heavy rain is forecast
Firefighters in Essex warned motorists not to try and get through flood water after seven people including three pensioners had to be rescued from vehicles stranded in their cars - one in Watery Lane, Ulting.
A spokesman said: 'Six inches of water is enough to get inside car or cause the engine to stall. And two feet is deep enough to float a vehicle.'
Two people were rescued from deep floodwater after their boat capsized and in Chaceley, near Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, yesterday.
The pair had been with a third person who swam to the flooded Yew Tree Inn at Chaceley to raise the alarm after their boat turned over.
Credit to Dailymail
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2550367/New-flood-storm-warnings-South-days-heavy-rain-set-cause-misery.html#ixzz2sBjGZiAG
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