UK floods: River levels rise as rain and wind sweep in

Thousands of sandbags are being piled up to protect homes and businesses as more heavy rain and gale-force winds sweep across southern Britain.

With river levels expected to rise, the Environment Agency has made 30,000 sandbags available to properties near the Thames in Berkshire and Surrey.

Princes William and Harry have helped pile sandbags in Datchet, Berkshire.

In Wales, more than 16,000 properties remain without power following Wednesday's winds of up to 112mph.

A man has died in hospital after being hit by a falling tree in his garden in Gwynedd during Wednesday's storm.

The Environment Agency has issued 23 severe flood warningscovering parts of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey.

The latest warnings are for various places along the south coast of England.

The Met Office said that following the heavy rain that had fallen in many places during the day, it expected "potentially damaging" severe gales in southern England during the evening and into Saturday morning.

Snow has started falling in parts of northern England, Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland.

BBC Weather's Peter Gibbs said that with gusts of up to 80mph likely, there was a danger of high tides bringing fresh coastal flooding.

The weather is expected to gradually improve on Saturday, the Met Office says, leaving a better day on Sunday and "less intense" showers on Monday.

The Environment Agency said flood levels on the Thames had "stabilised in the last 24 hours", but the latest rainfall would cause levels to rise again and stay high for several days.

Programme director Peter Willison said: "This remains a very live event. I expect we will see further property flooding."

Flood risk manager Alison Baptiste urged people to do all they could to protect themselves and their homes.

Alex Tribick from the Spelthorne Business Forum in Surrey said the local currency had "changed from the pound to the sandbag".

Earlier, Prime Minister David Cameron said the government would "fight at every front to help people" hit by floods.

He said money would be no object in a "massive national effort", saying: "I want people to know that the government absolutely stands behind this relief effort."

In other developments:

• About 2,200 armed forces personnel - regulars and reserves - are helping the flood relief effort and a further 3,000 are on standby to respond within two hours, according to Maj Gen Patrick Sanders, assistant chief of defence staff
• Flood defences in Gloucester are succeeding in holding back the water, according to the Environment Agency
• Council staff in Hampshire have been moved from their "normal day jobs" to help the flood relief effort
• Buckingham Palace has said the Queen is supporting farmers affected by the flooding on the Somerset Levels by contributing feed and bedding from the royal farms at Windsor
• The prime minister said UK businesses were offering "free help" to those affected by the flooding
• Major supermarkets are providing supplies such as waders, food parcels, batteries and torches
• Police have appealed to drivers across Northern Ireland to take extra care as rain and snow disrupt travel
• The AA has urged drivers to try to travel only during daylight

An amber warning for rain in the South West has now expired, but an amber warning for wind and yellow warnings for rain, wind and snow have been issued, covering much of the UK in the coming hours.

Gusts could reach up to 85mph, while more snow is expected on high ground in Wales, northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The Energy Networks Association said electricity had been restored to 572,291 properties across the UK since Wednesday's storms, but 16,092 homes, mostly in north Wales, remained cut off.

Severn warning

Some parts of the Somerset Levels have been flooded for several weeks, while areas near the Thames in Berkshire and Surrey have seen major flooding in recent days.

As well as the 23 severe flood warnings, the Environment Agency has issued more than 400 less serious flood warnings and alerts, mostly in southern England and the Midlands.

Remaining travel problems include:

• The line between Barmouth and Pwllheli, in Gwynedd, is closed until further notice
• First Great Western services are severely disrupted because of flooding. Services affected include London Paddington to Reading and Oxford
• Many services in Devon are disrupted due to the collapse at Dawlish. The track there is not expected to reopen until mid-April at the earliest
• Disruption between Tonbridge and Hastings will continue "until further notice"
• Some roads are closed because of flooding. See BBC Travel Newsfor more

Tornado role

Meanwhile, a Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado jet has captured detailed aerial pictures of areas affected by the floods.

High-resolution imagery captured from the aircraft, deployed from RAF Marham, in Norfolk, will help in the planning of relief operations.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "This Tornado-borne surveillance capability is very much proven in a combat role in Afghanistan but its versatility is underlined by its use today, here at home, to support ongoing flood relief efforts."