© Reuters/Cathal McNaughtonWaves crash against the coastal wall in the village of Carnlough as high tides and strong winds cause some flooding in coastal areas of Northern Ireland January 3, 2014.
Gale force winds accompanied by monster waves, twice the height of a double-decker bus, eroded Britain's Atlantic coast on Friday. Dozens of houses were flooded, piers damaged, roads and railway tracks, including major ones, affected.
At Heathrow several flights had trouble landing because of the wind, while connections to and from Gatwick were hampered by the bad weather.
More than a hundred flood warnings were issued by Environment Agency Saturday morning. Four of those were severe. That was one-fifth Friday's rate. However weather forecasts for the coming days say it's not yet time to relax.
"We certainly do have worse to come, we know that we've got another band of weather coming in on Sunday which is going to bring along what we call fluvial flooding, that's flooding to the rivers," The Telegraph cited warning from Chris Bainger, spokesperson for the Environment Agency.
The areas of particular risk pinpointed by the agency included the Devon and Cornwall coastlines, Dorset, the Welsh coast and the Scilly Isles.
© Reuters/Rebecca NadenWaves crash over the promenade at hightide in Saundersfoot, in west Wales January 3, 2014.
Some of the residents of Newport in south Wales were evacuated on Friday. People in the "yellow-alert" areas across Britain have been told to have their bags packed in case of an emergency.
The bad weather has also affected Northern Ireland, where in Belfast police have been delivering sandbags and have issued a warning to people in the Sydenham and Docks areas to prepare for potential flooding and the possibility of evacuation, according to The Belfast Telegraph.
The rough weather attracted a lot of sightseers to the piers and harbors, despite police cautions for people to stay away from seafront areas. Social networks of UK internet users have been deluged with images of the enormous waves and their impact.
'There is colossal power in these waves that can knock people off their feet. We would advise people to keep well away. There have already been two fatalities this year already and urge you not to add to those statistics," the Environmental Agency's spokesman said.
Winds and waves have in some areas been accompanied by showers of huge hailstones.
"To say glibly that everybody has got to make cuts is a rather simplistic approach and I can't imagine that people whose homes have been flooded are going to be comforted by that kind of statement," The Independent reported Leslie Manasseh, deputy general secretary of the Prospect union, as saying.
Last year saw a record number of flood alerts and warnings in Britain. December was the stormiest month since 1969, according to the Met Office.
© Reuters/Cathal McNaughtonWaves crash against the coastal wall in the village of Carnlough as high tides and strong winds cause some flooding in coastal areas of Northern Ireland January 3, 2014.
© Reuters/Rebecca NadenHoliday chalets at Carmarthen Bay Holiday Park are surrounded by flood water caused by high tides in Kidwelly, West Wales, January 3, 2014.
© AFP Photo/Carl CourtA man photographs Brighton Pier in southern England in southern England on January 3, 2014 as waves strike after a high tide.
© AFP/RNLIThis handout picture received from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) on January 3, 2014 shows a man rowing a boat down the flooded main street following a high tide at Salcombe in Devon, southwest England.
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