A man who died when his mobility scooter fell into a swollen river has become the third person to die as a result of the latest bout of storms.
Thames Valley Police were called to Osney Lock, Oxford, at 6.30pm on Saturday after receiving a report that the man had been seen to fall into the River Thames after driving his scooter along a flooded pathway.
Police said the 47-year-old man, from the Oxford area, was pronounced dead at the scene after being recovered from the lock.
It came as forecasters warned gusts of up to 70mph are set to hit western Britain creating a further risk of flooding.
Two others have died in the storms. A 27-year-old man from Surrey was found on Porthleven Sands beach in Cornwall after he was swept out to sea on New Year’s Eve.
And a woman died after being rescued from the sea in Croyde Bay, north Devon.
More than 200 homes have already been flooded along the west of the UK from Cornwall to Scotland, with miles of coastline battered and roads left under water.
The devastation left in wake of the stormiest December since 1969 has prompted David Cameron to pledge that lessons will be learned.
A new warning has been issued by the Met Office saying that high winds from 3am on Monday along the coast of Scotland, Wales and southwest England could result in waves of up to 10 metres high.
A yellow warning has been issued for the west Britain
In response, Aberystwyth University said it was putting plans in place to evacuate students from seafront halls on Sunday night.
Aberystwyth was one of the worst affected places on Friday when the bad weather caused widespread damage in coastal areas and damaged rail lines in north Wales.
Sky News’s weather producer Joanne Robinson said that waves are expected to reach heights of 7-10 metres around the coasts of western Scotland, Wales and southwest England.
Southern and western parts of Ireland could see waves higher than that while the English Channel would see 3-7 metre high waves.
She said: “There’ll be an on-going risk of flooding, with concerns for some coastal areas again tomorrow.”
“The winds will continue to pick up over the next 24 hours, bringing gusts up to 70mph in exposed parts of the south and west on Monday.”
“Along with the strong winds tomorrow, there will be large waves for southern and western parts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The waves could reach 10m in some spots bringing the risk of flooding at high tide.”
The Met Office has also issued yellow warnings for rain in the south of England and snow in the north of England and southern Scotland on Sunday.
Tewkesbury is underwater, again, due to floods
Up to 40mm of rain could fall on higher ground on Sunday and there are more warnings of flooding and travel disruption.
Among the weather related disruption is a landslip near Ockley which is preventing Southern Trains travelling between Horsham and Dorking.
Repairs mean the line is not expected to open until early February.
The Environment Agency has been warning that the south and west coasts of England and the Severn estuary are at risk of coastal flooding into next week.
The warnings come as searches resumed in south Devon for missing 18-year-old university student Harry Martin, who was last seen leaving his home in Newton Ferrers, near Plymouth, on Thursday to take photographs of the weather.
Harry Martin
Prayers were said at the Sunday service in Mr Martin’s local church.
There are currently 69 flood warnings and 214 flood alerts in place in England and Wales. Ten flood warnings and 16 flood alerts are in place in Scotland.
The government has come under criticism for planning to cut the number of jobs in the Environment Agency, which has the responsibility for flood protection.
David Cameron told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday: “You are going to see record levels of spending on flood defences. We’ve guaranteed that, right out into 2020, so they can really plan right out into the future.”
“Local authorities have had to make difficult decisions. The Environment Agency does have to make sure it controls its budgets carefully but we are making sure they invest in the front line.”
“Huge sympathy to anyone who has had their house flooded. Anyone who has had a house or an office flooded knows it is absolutely dreadful.”
“There are always lessons to learn. I think we’re doing a lot more things better.”
Meanwhile, the RAC has warned motorists to make sure their vehicles are ready for what they are calling ‘manic Monday’.
They are expecting it to be one of their busiest days of the year as many people return to work after an extended break.
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