The lighthouse on Porthcawl seafront
© James DaviesThe lighthouse on Porthcawl seafront, South Wales, takes a battering
Gale-force winds of up to 100mph have led to spectacular scenes as the worst storm of the year gripped parts of Britain.

Intense weather conditions in Wales and southern England brought an abrupt end to an unusually mild autumn, with isolated flooding in south-western England and severe winds in coastal regions.

Drama was not confined to the south-west, however, with a fast rescue craft from an unnamed North Sea oil rig running aground at Britain's most easterly point.

Three men were rescued unhurt from the vessel by Lowestoft lifeboat on Friday night after the craft became stuck on a disused jetty at Ness Point in Suffolk, an RNLI spokeswoman said.

The damaged vessel became grounded on rocks after being abandoned but was later salvaged.

At Newhaven in East Sussex, the impact of heavy seas saw waves tower over the harbour lighthouse.

The lighthouse at The Needles on the westernmost point of the Isle of Wight reported gusts of between 95mph and 100mph.

Byron Chalcraft, the Met Office national forecaster, said: "We have had gusts reported of 72mph at Culdrose in Cornwall, and 71mph at Plymouth.

"The first part of the autumn was unseasonably mild and pretty dry, but that's all changed now."

Image
© Steve Poole/Rex FeaturesA man is lifted off his feet by a gust of wind on the beach at Hurst Point, Dorset
Trees and power lines were brought down in Somerset, a roof was blown off a property at Whipton in Devon, and in Dorset five people, including a pregnant woman and two small children, fled their car when it was enveloped by floodwater at Whitchurch Canonicorum, near Bridport.

Two people in a car were also pulled out of floodwater at Broadwindsor in Dorset.

In Wales, Pembrokeshire was the hardest hit with widespread flooding of the county's road network leading to motorists becoming stranded in their vehicles. In Haverfordwest 12 people were rescued from a coach trapped in floodwaters between Caneston Bridge and Cross Hands Road.

Unusually for November, there was thunder and lightning inland as far as London, although the Lord Mayor's Show and other events continued despite conditions. Firefighters also said 17 homes were damaged in Benfleet, Essex.

In Haywards Heath, West Sussex, workers in an industrial estate had to be rescued by boat after becoming marooned by the deluge. A West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "There has been a hell of a lot of water, amounting to about two feet in total."

Elsewhere in the county firefighters were called to two lighting strikes which caused minor damage.

Rail passengers faced delays and cancellations after the heavy rain caused rocks to slide on to rail tracks, closing a busy line in the Chepstow area of south east Wales. Services running between Newport and Gloucester were also affected, along with cross-country trains between Nottingham and Cardiff with buses replacing trains.

Some cross-Channel sailings were disrupted due to the rough seas and winds gusting up to force 10, the Port of Dover said.

Brittany Ferries cancelled Plymouth-Roscoff and Poole-Cherbourg sailings because of the severe weather.

The rain and winds were forecast to ease on Sunday but this week is expected to bring further heavy rainfall in parts.


Comment: Sott UK correspondent Betty O Reilly was on the scene in Haywards Heath and gave this exclusive update:
"We can't believe that Haywards Heath has made the national press. It certainly rained hard and Appledore Gardens was flooded for a short time but I didn't see any boats! What a shame we missed all the excitement. Not sure what we were doing, probably walking Poppy somewhere."