 Duckboards
have been set up across flooded streets
Communities
across the UK are continuing to count the cost of storms after
gale force winds and heavy rain again brought chaos, leaving one
person feared dead.
While the weather subsided overnight into Thursday, 17 severe
flood warnings are still in place - including eight on a one hundred
mile stretch of the River Severn.
Police in
Greater Manchester were last night continuing the serach for Danny
Grimley, 19, who fell into the swollen River Irwell in Salford
at 1245 GMT on Wednesday.
"The
river levels around the country are not expected to be as high
as in October but that's no consolation to people currently being
flooded" - Environment Agency
Forecasters
say most of Britain can expect blustery wind, sunny spells and
showers for the next few days before the weather turns colder
on Friday.
On Wednesday
about 250 schoolchildren had "a lucky escape" and three
elderly people were rushed to hospital with minor head injuries
after a suspected tornado destroyed part of a hall in Scunthorpe.
Tornados
Researchers
believe the Scunthorpe incident was one of four tornados which
also struck Wigan, Hartlepool and Newton Aycliffe, near Middlesbrough.
The weather
improved slightly on Wednesday but the danger of widespread floods
because rain has already saturated ground across southern England
and Wales.
 Shrewsbury:
Alternative transport required
A further 135 flood warnings are in force across England and Wales.
The rain-swollen Severn flooded Shrewsbury, and the Environment
Agency warned hundreds of homes in south-west England and south
Wales were at risk from flood waters.
River levels
in Gloucester are predicted to reach even higher levels than after
last month's storms, although the flooding threat should recede
by the weekend.
Homeowners
and traders in Lewes, East Sussex, have been told to prepare for
more widespread flooding as the River Ouse threatens to overflow.
Travel
chaos
The disruption
from high winds and floods brought chaos to Britain's railways,
already crippled by speed restrictions in the wake of the Hatfield
crash.
The East Coast
and West Coast mainlines were shut in places after overhead power
lines were brought down on tracks north of London and in the Midlands.
A Railtrack
spokeswoman said the East Coast mainline later re-opened but disruption
to services continued throughout the afternoon.
 The
plane overshot a runway at Heathrow Airport
At Heathrow
airport airline passengers were left frustrated as 100 flights
were cancelled and others delayed after a busy runway was closed
overnight because a British Airways Boeing 747 got stuck on a
grass verge.
Police forces
across southern England reported dangerous driving conditions.
The M1 southbound
carriageway was closed at junction 18 after three lorries went
over in high winds. No one was injured.
Widespread
frost is now predicted for the weekend, with snow possible in
Scotland and northern England.
An EA spokesman
said: "The river levels around the country are not expected
to be as high as in October but that's no consolation to people
currently being flooded. We are looking at a serious situation."
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