EXTREME WEATHER CHAOS: Britain, Scotland, Wales And Ireland Hit By Heavy Rainfall, Widespread Flooding, Damaging Winds, And Raging Waves - At Least 7 Dead; 1,700 Homes Flooded In England; Over 300 Flood Warnings And Alerts; Over $500 MILLION In Damages To Ireland Alone; Waves Reach As High As 65 FEET; Over 100mph Gales Batter Towns; Forecasters Says Further Flooding Is Inevitable!

January 06, 2014 - UNITED KINGDOM - Britain is being battered again by storms and gale force winds - bringing flooding and travel chaos to many parts of the UK.

Stormy seas have caused problems in southwest coastal regions, and forecasters say there will be more violent weather over the next few days.

People watch and photograph enormous waves as they break, on Porthcawl harbour, South Wales, Monday
Jan. 6, 2014. Residents along Britain's coasts are braced for more flooding as strong winds, rain and high
tides lash the country.  (AP Photo/PA, Ben Birchall) UNITED KINGDOM OUT (AP)

Wave of stormy weather that has battered Britain since last week
(AP Photo/PA, Ben Birchall) UNITED KINGDOM OUT (AP)

This is the latest storm front to hit Britain.

A Mercedes is pulled from rising waters in the tiny village of Muchelney, Somerset.

Inland, some villages on the Somerset Levels have been cut off, with residents in Muchelney, near Somerton, being supplied by boat.

 In a statement to the Commons, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said seven people had died and 1,700 homes had been flooded in England.

He said one million homes have so far been protected by flood defences, but there was a likelihood of more flooding "for some time to come" in Dorset and Wiltshire.

 As gusts of up to 70mph hit western coasts, people were urged to remain vigilant and stay away from coastal roads, promenades and jetties with 25ft-high waves crashing on to beaches.


WATCH: Heavy Rain, High Winds Wreak Havoc on UK.

There are fears the next high tides will bring further coastal flooding.

Aberystwyth seafront - including 600 rooms of the university's student halls of residence facing the beach - was evacuated and rescue centres set up as high tides battered the coastline.

 Sky's Mike McCarthy, at the scene, said: "The worst predictions are being realised. We have seen waves bringing rocks and stones forward over the fencing."

Student Millie Farmer, 19, said 12ft waves had crashed on to the promenade, ripping up paving slabs and leaving debris scattered on the front.

A large wave hits a train travelling through Dawlish in Devon.

More flooding is expected in Dorset.

A rock fall in Porthcothan Bay, Cornwall.

The severe weather has already taken its toll on the transport network and there was more disruption for commuters with roads closed and trains delayed or cancelled in areas.

Southern Railway services between Horsham and Dorking in Surrey will be out of action until early February after a landslip in Ockley.

 And with hail providing an additional hazard, driving conditions are expected to be difficult too with the RAC expecting Monday to be one of the busiest days of the year for breakdowns, with 11,000 call-outs expected.

Aberystwyth seafront has been evacuated because of the storm.

Red areas show the flood warnings in place in Scotland.

Three severe flood warnings are in place in Dorset.

Muchelney in Somerset has been cut off, and many of the houses are flooded.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning - meaning "be aware" - for heavy rain, along with hail and thunder, in southern and western parts of Scotland, across Northern Ireland, north Wales, northwest and northeast England and the South.

With the ground saturated already following recent storms, the Environment Agency (EA) has issued three severe flood warnings.

 All are in Dorset - one is near Bournemouth, another at Preston Beach in Weymouth, and the third is in the Chiswell area of Chesil Beach.

There are also more than 300 flood warnings and alerts covering every region in England and Wales.

 The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has 11 flood warnings and 11 flood alerts in place.

Sky News weather producer Christopher England said: "There will be widespread heavy showers this evening, but southern and eastern Britain will be mainly dry.

"Strong winds gusting to over 60mph in the South and West will bring a risk of further coastal flooding during high tide." - SKY News.

Another Massive Storm On The Way As Ireland Reels At Raging Waves From Winter Fury.

A barrage of waves batter the coastal town of Lahinch, Co Clare.
Photo by George Karbus.

Ireland’s Atlantic coastline is bracing itself for a massive new storm as towns and villages prepare for more flooding.

The country’s state weather service Met Eireann has issued another Orange Alert warning in advance of further high winds and heavy rain.

The damage already inflicted now stands at over $500million with more on the way.

Forecasters reports massive Atlantic swells moving with the storm and estimating waves in some areas could reach anywhere from 35ft to as high as 65ft.

Forecasters are warning that winds could get as high as 100 miles per hour on the west coast with heavy rain as very high tides and high seas add to the threat of coastal flooding.

Arranmore Bay Photo: John Rafferty

The stormy conditions are expected to worsen on Sunday night with bands of heavy rain moving in from the Atlantic and bad weather set to last until Tuesday.

Parts of Cork, Galway, Clare, Limerick and Mayo have been badly hit with spectacular photographs online of the storm lashing the surf town of Lahinch.

The promenade in the famous Clare town was destroyed by an Atlantic storm surge while the town’s Seaworld tourist attraction suffered over $130,000 worth of damage.

Local councillor Bill Slattery told the Sunday Independent newspaper: “We are looking for emergency funding from the Government, as the local authority has no funding to repair the damage in Lahinch.

“I have never seen the devastation like it. A playground we had just opened two years ago was completely destroyed and the walkway surfaces along the seafront have been ripped up. Huge boulders were being thrown across the car park with the force of the tide.” - Irish Central.