Teachers 'Should Pass MoTs Or Face The Sack'

Teachers should be licensed and will face the sack if they fail to pass checks on their abilities, the Labour party has said.

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said he wants teachers to be reviewed every few years to improve standards in England's state schools.

A similar proposal was floated by the previous Labour government - and dubbed "classroom MoTs" by former schools secretary Ed Balls - but was opposed by some unions and dropped before the 2010 general election.

Mr Hunt told the BBC: "Just like lawyers and doctors they should have the same professional standing which means re-licensing themselves, which means continued professional development, which means being the best possible they can be.

"If you're not a motivated teacher - passionate about your subject, passionate about being in the classroom - then you shouldn't really be in this profession."

Mr Hunt went on to tell The Times: "If we want to re-professionalise the teachers it would be crazy not to do it. If teachers are not re-licensed they will not be allowed to teach."

The Opposition has previously said it would insist on all teachers having Qualified Teacher Status, with staff already working in academies given a deadline to acquire a formal qualification.

A Conservative Party spokesman said the Government was willing to look any proposals which will "genuinely improve the quality of teaching".

He said: "We have already taken action by allowing heads to remove teachers from the classroom in a term, as opposed to a year previously, and scrapping the three-hour limit on classroom observations.

"We are improving teacher training, expanding Teach First and allowing heads to pay good teachers more. Thanks to our reforms, a record proportion of top graduates are entering the profession.

"Fixing the schools system so young people have the skills they need is a key part of our long-term economic plan."

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Flood Warnings As River Levels Set To Rise

Homeowners in southern England have been warned to prepare for further flooding today after heavy rainfall caused the River Thames to burst its banks.

The Environment Agency (EA) has warned people living along the lower reaches of the Thames to be aware of the risk of rising water levels.

Further flooding is expected over the weekend in Oxfordshire, West Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey as recent rainfall flows downstream.

There are also risks of flooding along the River Parret in Somerset and the River Severn in the Midlands.

Residents in Dorset, south Wiltshire, Hampshire and West Sussex have also been warned of likely flooding caused by high groundwater levels.

Flooding seen in the village of Muchelney, in Somerset

The EA has issued 94 flood warnings - meaning immediate action is required due to expected flooding - and 151 flood alerts across England.

The agency estimates that some 570 properties have been flooded since the New Year, while a further 239,000 properties have been protected by flood defences.

"Communities along the River Thames, particularly below Oxford, into Berkshire and through Surrey need to remain vigilant for further flooding," said the agency's head of incident management, John Curtin.

"River levels on the Thames are high and will continue to rise for the next few days and we urge people keep up to date with the latest flood warnings and take action.

"With so much standing water around, we would also remind people to stay out of flood water and not attempt to walk or drive through it."

Flood warnings along the River Thames (Pic: Environment Agency)

The Thames burst its banks on Friday, forcing homeowners to carry out clean-up operations and protect their homes from damage.

Parts of the river, stretching from Buscot in Oxfordshire to Bourne End in Buckinghamshire, were under flood warnings as heavy rain over recent days caused river levels to rise.

Residents were warned on Thursday to expect flooding, with many moving belongings to prevent damage.

Many homes close to the banks are underwater, with flood waters causing damage to ground floors and gardens.

Affected areas included Marlow and Cookham in Buckinghamshire, as well as Shiplake and Wargrave in Berkshire and parts of south Oxford.

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Hospital A&E Patient Numbers On The Rise

By Thomas Moore, Health And Science Correspondent

Figures due to be released later are expected to show a rise in the number of patients seeking emergency treatment.

At Good Hope Hospital in the West Midlands, A&E staff have been dealing with a surge of patients since the New Year.

A new rapid assessment team of senior doctors and nurses checks fresh arrivals within 30 minutes of them coming in, redirecting those who could be seen by a GP or a minor injuries unit.

But a delay in discharging patients from the wards is causing a bottleneck.

By early afternoon, 13 patients are waiting in cubicles to be admitted. Until they are found a bed, patients are having to wait on trolleys for their A&E treatment to start.

A&E matron Anna Howell said the backlog adds to pressure on staff.

"It means we are doing two jobs rather than one," she said.

"There is the A&E workload and then there is the workload of patients who are stable and safe and need to be admitted for specialist treatment. They need different nursing."

Alice Mills, who turns 100 later this month, is one of those needing a bed.

She has breathing problems and doctors suspect she has an infection.

Her daughter Lesley Partridge said that although staff were busy, they were still caring.

"She was scared about coming into hospital," she said.

"But everybody has reassured her, joked with her and calmed her. It's exactly what she needed."

The problem with bed-blocking at Good Hope is common around the NHS.

Figures released earlier this week by NHS England showed that almost 2,700 beds are occupied by patients who are better. That is up on this time last year.

Abimbola Otesile, an A&E doctor at Good Hope, said the work rarely stops.

"As soon as you finish one patient you see the next one almost immediately, so you get very tired by the end of the day," he said.

:: All this week Sky News will have live coverage examining the crisis in the NHS. Watch 'A Matter Of Life And Death' on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Teen Hero Dies Tackling School Suicide Bomber

A teenager has been hailed as a hero in Pakistan after he was killed while chasing down a suicide bomber outside a school.

Aitzaz Hasan died when an Islamist militant detonated a device outside the school in the village of Hangu, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

A teacher at the school told police he saw 17-year-old Hasan running after the bomber before being killed by the explosion.

Hundreds of people have attended the teenager's funeral to pay their respects and a Facebook tribute page has been set up in his honour.

Hasan's father Mujahid Ali returned to Pakistan from the UAE, where he was working, to celebrate his son's life.

"My son made his mother cry but saved hundreds of mothers from crying for their children," he told the English-language Express Tribune newspaper.

Local resident Miqdar Khan said many people in the district have hailed Hasan as a hero, adding that the teen was known for openly criticising militants.

"Aitzaz Hasan used to tell all that one day he would capture some suicide bomber and his class fellows used to laugh," he said.

"But this boy proved what he said and I am sad that he left us too early."

Suicide bombings and killings have become a regular occurrence in many regions of Pakistan.

A study by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies found that the number of terrorist attacks increased by 9% in 2013 compared to the previous year.

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Duggan Killing: Armed Police To Wear Cameras

Firearms officers will trial the use of body-worn video cameras to improve public confidence in the wake of the Mark Duggan killing.

Mr Duggan, whose death sparked protests that led to riots and looting across the country, was shot and killed when police stopped the taxi in which he was travelling in Tottenham, north London, in August 2011.

Following a four-month inquest, on Wednesday the jury found that although the 29-year-old had a gun in the cab, he probably threw it onto a nearby grass verge as soon as the car came to a stop.

Senior officers want to use the camera technology from April, to avoid the dispute and uncertainty which has dogged the Duggan investigation.

An aerial shot shows the taxi in which Mr Duggan was travelling

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, who will be speaking on Sky News after 8am, said earlier: "There are great benefits to having these incidents on video. Look at the Lee Rigby case - everyone knows what happened.

"We don't need all these different opinions and conjecture - it's much easier to get to the facts."

The cameras are already used by some US police forces.

Wednesday's verdict sparked angry scenes outside the Royal Courts of Justice, which Mr Duggan's family called "perverse", claiming he had been "executed" by the police.

Mr Duggan's aunt Carole Duggan said: "The majority of the people in this country know that Mark was executed. We are going to fight until we have no breath left in our body for Mark and his children."

Their solicitor Marcia Willis-Stewart said: "On August 4, 2011 an unarmed man was shot down in Tottenham. Today we have had what we can only call a perverse judgement.

Assistant commissioner Mark Rowley was heckled as he spoke outside court

"The jury found that he had no gun in his hand and yet he was gunned down. For us that's an unlawful killing."

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said the shooting had led to a "significant reduction in trust" between the capital's black communities and the police.

He said: "I know that we have much work to do with black Londoners to build trust and confidence in the Metropolitan Police.

"My officers do not set out to run an operation that results in someone dying. They are brave people who risk their own lives to keep the public safe."

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said it was looking at new evidence that had emerged from the inquest, and the Duggan family are now considering whether to try to get the inquest conclusion judicially reviewed.

Mr Duggan was being followed by officers who believed he planned to pick up a gun from another man, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, and then move on to Broadwater Farm, also in Tottenham.

Hutchinson-Foster has since been found guilty of supplying a gun to Mr Duggan.

:: Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley will be speaking on Sky News after 8am.  Watch it live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Norfolk Helicopter Crash: Bodies To Be Moved

The bodies of four American service personnel who were killed in a helicopter crash in north Norfolk are expected to be removed from the site later.

Captains Christopher Stover and Sean Ruane, Technical Sergeant Dale Mathews and Staff Sergeant Afton Ponce died when their Pave Hawk helicopter came down on a marsh near Cley-next-the-Sea on Tuesday night.

RAF Lakenheath, where the US Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing is based, said Capt Stover and Capt Ruane were the pilots during the routine training flight.

Tech Sgt Mathews and SSgt Ponce were acting as special mission aviators.

Colonel Kyle Robinson, 48th Fighter Wing commander, said: "We continue to think of the loved ones who are experiencing such a tragic, sudden loss.

"The Liberty Wing feels as though it has lost members of its family, and we stand by to support one another and these airmen's families during this difficult time."

The scene of the crash in north Norfolk

Air accident, RAF and US investigators spent Wednesday at the scene of the tragedy, where debris was strewn across an area the size of a football pitch.

The investigation has been hampered by the live ammunition the helicopter had been carrying, with bullets scattered around the scene. A 400m police cordon is expected to remain in place until Monday.

Norfolk Police Chief Superintendent Bob Scully said: "You would be very much mistaken if you thought this would be a quick process.

"It all hinges on our ability to establish what happened and the removal of the casualties, who are sadly deceased, could disrupt the evidence so this must be done methodically step by step."

The Pave Hawk - a derivative of the US Army's more famous Black Hawk - gets its name from the PAVE acronym, which stands for Precision Avionics Vectoring Equipment.

The helicopter is used for combat search and rescue, mainly to recover downed aircrew or other isolated personnel.

:: A statement from the US military is expected at RAF Lakenheath at 8am. Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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US Helicopter Crashes On North Norfolk Coast

Four crew members have died after a US military helicopter crashed in Norfolk during a training mission.

The Pave Hawk was taking part in a low-flying exercise when it came down in Cley Next the Sea at around 7pm on Tuesday.

The aircraft was carrying ammunition at the time of the crash, and police are investigating if it poses any risk to the public.

A 400-metre cordon has been set up around the site, which was at a nature reserve. Residents were allowed to stay in their homes, although pedestrians and motorists were cleared from the scene.

Norfolk Constabulary Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Hamlin said: "As our inquiry moves on today and the recovery of the aircraft begins, I would urge the public to stay away from the area.

The military helicopter crashed in Cley Next The Sea in North Norfolk

"The cordon and road closures are in place to allow our experts to carry out these processes safely and there is no risk to members of the public if this section of marshland is avoided."

The helicopter was based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.

The 48th Air Wing of the US Air Force, based at RAF Lakenheath, said: "US military officials are co-ordinating the recovery efforts with the UK police and the Ministry of Defence.

"The aircraft, assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, was performing a low-level training mission along the coast when the crash occurred."

Around a dozen emergency vehicles from the fire brigade, coastguard and police were on the scene.

Cley artist Rachel Lockwood said: "We had never seen so many police cars and fire engines, so went to have a look.

Two US HH-60 Pave-Hawk helicopters seen flying in France in 2010

"The beach road to Cley is sealed off. There are lots of fire engines near the Dun Cow pub at Salthouse.

"A helicopter is hovering over the marsh with a light beaming down."

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust said the helicopter crashed on the shingle bank at the Cley Marshes nature reserve.

A spokesman for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) said: "We were asked for three lifeboats to respond to reports that an aircraft had possibly ditched in the sea.

"Lifeboats Wells, Sheringham and Cromer were launched at the request of the coastguard, but were stood down when it was confirmed that the aircraft had come down over land."

A derivative of the more famous Black Hawk helicopter, the Pave Hawk gets its name from the PAVE acronym standing for Precision Avionics Vectoring Equipment.

They are used for combat search and rescue, mainly to recover downed aircrew or other isolated personnel.

They have a four-man crew and can carry up to 12 troops.

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Former Miss Venezuela And Ex Killed In Robbery

Armed robbers have shot dead a former Miss Venezuela and her British ex-husband in front of their five-year-old daughter.

Monica Spear, 29, and Thomas Henry Berry, 39, were on holiday in Venezuela when the attack happened between Puerto Cabello and Valencia.

Their daughter Maya was shot in the leg during the attempted robbery. She survived and is recovering in hospital.

Authorities said police had arrested five suspects, some under the age of 18.

Monica Spear was crowned Miss Venezuela in Caracas in 2004

President Nicolas Maduro said the victims' car burst a tyre after running over something on the road, apparently placed by robbers to stop traffic.

He said a recovery truck arrived to help the family but its crew were chased away after they were ambushed by armed robbers.

"They were inside the car and were riddled (with bullets)," the president said on state TV.

"I ask those who assassinated this young person: what explanation do you have?"

It is understood the couple separated last year

Friends have left messages on Twitter. Venezuelan salsa singer Oscar D'Leon wrote: "I'm so sad for my Venezuela. My condolences for Monica Spear's family.

"Rage and impotence are what I feel right now."

The 2004 Miss Venezuela winner lived in the US but was on holiday at the time of the shooting.

Venezuela has one of the world's highest murder rates, with 79 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2013, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence.

Mr Maduro says beating violent crime is his top priority but opponents say the government's plans do not tackle root causes, such as impunity for criminals, corrupt courts and complicity by some poorly-paid police.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles said he and Mr Maduro should leave their political differences to one side.

"We should unite to win the war against violence and insecurity. We're in an emergency ... this situation calls for all of us to take a look at ourselves as a country."

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Polar Vortex: Deep Freeze Moves Across US

A whirlpool of freezing, dense air known as a "polar vortex" has gripped the US Midwest and is making its way east and south, bringing record low temperatures.

Thermometers plunged to -32C (-25F) in Fargo, North Dakota, while Madison, Wisconsin, hit -28C (-19F) and even Chicago and Minneapolis saw temperatures reach -20F, with wind chills of -50F.

Forecasters say some 187 million people could feel the effects of the frigid blast by the time it has spread across the country.

Nearly 3,200 flights - one out of every 10 domestic departures - were cancelled on Monday, following a weekend of travel disruption across the US.

Snow is removed from the tarmac as a plane lands at New York's JFK Airport

Airline officials said de-icing fluid was freezing and fuel was pumping sluggishly.

More than a foot of snow has been dumped on a large part of the nation's midsection, forcing officials to close schools in Chicago, St Louis and Milwaukee.

In Chicago, transit officials believe the frigid conditions caused a commuter train to strike a bumping post at a central station, injuring 14 passengers.

The polar vortex will hit temperatures in 48 US states by Tuesday

Authorities said six people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after the accident - the second such incident of the day.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting 48 US states will have wind chills of below zero - an area of 1.5 million square miles.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard upgraded the city's travel emergency level to "red" for a time, making it illegal for anyone to drive except for emergencies or to seek shelter.

The last time the city issued such a warning was in 1978.

The extreme weather is affecting area of 1.5 million square miles

Utility crews worked to restore power to more than 40,000 Indiana customers affected by the weekend storm and cautioned that some people could be in the cold and dark for days.

In New York City, the temperature was expected to drop sharply from about 11C (52F) to around -12C (10F) as the Arctic air moved in.

Missouri transport officials said it was too cold for rock salt to be effective and several roads in Illinois were closed because of drifting snow.

Government offices and courts in several states have also been closed.

Predicted temperatures across the US on Tuesday morning

In Newfoundland, Canada, around 30,000 customers remain without power because of rolling blackouts over the last few days.

The record cold temperatures are also affecting southern states.

Louisiana citrus farmers have been warned they could lose any fruit they cannot pick as two nights of freezing temperatures are forecast.

Packers fans watch the seventh coldest NFL game in history

Fans braved subzero temperatures to watch the Green Bay Packers lose 20-23 to the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field on Sunday night.

The game kicked off with temperatures of -15C (5F), making it the seventh coldest NFL game in history.

People in Canada have also been reporting hearing loud "booms" known as "frost quakes"

The phenomenon - or cryoseism - takes place when water underground freezes and then expands, forcing the ground to crack and creating the noise.

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Floods: Concerns Budget Cuts May Hit Response

Budget cuts at the Environment Department may affect its ability to deal with emergenices such as the current flooding, MPs have said.

Some £500m has been cut from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (Defra) budget since 2010 and the department is facing further cuts of more than £300m over the next two years.

Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee says the department's ability to deal with crises such as flooding and the horse-meat scandal must be protected.

A large wave crashes over the promenade at high tide in Aberystwyth

The Government has pledged to increase spending on new flood defence schemes to £370m in 2015/2016, with the money ring-fenced.

:: Send us your weather photos or video to news@sky.com or text your pictures to 84501

However, the Environment Agency, a government body funded by Defra and with a key role in dealing with flooding, is to lose more than 1,500 jobs in the next year.

Committee chairwoman Anne McIntosh said: "Defra is a small ministry facing massive budget cuts and which relies on a large number of arms-length bodies to deliver many significant areas of policy.

Anne McIntosh has warned the Government about cuts

"Ministers must clarify how further budget cuts over £300m over the next coming two years will impact on the funding provided to these agencies and the ability of the department to respond to emergencies."

She added: "Recent flooding events over the Christmas and New Year period reinforce the committee's concerns about cuts to the Defra budget and how these will be realised."

The warnings comes as the country faces another day of stormy weather and remains at risk of more flooding as heavy rain - combined with hail and thunder - and tidal surges continue to batter the southern and south-eastern coast.

A succession of storms means the rain is falling on already heavily saturated ground and swollen rivers, giving rise to difficult road conditions for motorists and causing delays and cancellations to train services.

Flooding in the Somerset Levels has left villages cut off, roads and buildings have been damaged, and waves of up to 27ft have been recorded at Land's End, the most southern tip of the UK.

Britain has been battered by wind and rain for days

A flood siren warning of extreme danger to people and property was sounded in Dorset in the early hours.

The Environment Agency raised the alarm after the sea breached Chiswell Beach in Portland on Monday night, following a severe flood warning in the area.

Dorset Police told families to move to an upstairs room facing away from the sea with flood kits.

A further two severe flood warnings - the highest level of warning - have also been issued by the Environment Agency for nearby Preston Beach and the Lower Stour in Dorset.

More than 120 flood warnings urging people to be prepared for flooding remain in place across the country, including in Dorset, Oxfordshire, south Wiltshire, Hampshire and along the river Thames, while more than 200 low-level alerts have been issued.

The Met Office said that heavy showers, some of them combined with hail and thunder, will continue to affect parts of southern and south-eastern England today and tomorrow.

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NHS 'Unsustainable' Without Extra £1bn Funding

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

More than 20,000 extra GPs, nurses and other NHS staff are needed if the Prime Minister wants his plan for longer surgery opening hours to work, the head of the Royal College of GPs has warned.

In her first major TV interview since taking up the post, Dr Maureen Baker told Sky News that GPs needed an extra £1bn of taxpayers' money to recruit sufficient staff to keep practices open seven days a week.

Without the extra money, the NHS risks becoming unsustainable as GPs and hospitals struggle to cope with the extra demand from patients over the winter months, she said.

"If we were to move to seven days a week we would need 10,000 more GPs.

"We probably need the same number of practice nurses and a proportionate number of support staff.

"We don't think seven days a week is realistic."

Dr Baker took over as head of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in November, a month after the Prime Minister declared his intention to get GPs to work more hours.

According to the British Medical Association (BMA), there are just over 40,000 GPs currently working in the UK.

The RCGP wants that figure to rise by a quarter.

In a dire assessment of the current state of GP practices, Dr Baker said family doctors feel "besieged" as they struggle to deal with the influx of patients, particularly in the winter months.

"It is constant demand with very little let-up," she said.

"We know our colleagues are working 11 to 12-hour days, and that is really difficult to do day after day when it is a job you need to be on top form for.

"They are feeling pressurised and besieged and looking for a bit of respite."

She said GPs need more resources, adding: "The consequence (of not having extra resources) will be the winter pressure effect that comes up every year gets longer and longer.

"My fear is the whole of the NHS becomes unsustainable due to the failure to properly invest in general practice."

She also criticised the Government's £500m handout to hospitals to help them cope this winter.

David Cameron wants longer opening hours for GP surgeries

"It wasn't the best use of money. It was a short-term fix, finger-in-the-dyke stuff," she said.

"There is nothing about the use of that money that will stop the same pressures emerging again and again."

In October, the Prime Minister said he would like GP surgeries to open from 8am until 8pm and at weekends to fit in with the lifestyles of working people.

He told Sky News: "Sometimes people using accident and emergency really just need to see a GP.

"But for hard-working people it is often too difficult because you are at work, you can't get an appointment at the time that fits."

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "GPs do a vital job which is why we increased their overall budget last year as part of our protection of NHS funding.

"We have made £50m available to help innovative GPs to extend their services and stay open longer - either on their own or by working with other local practices.

"We have also asked Health Education England to see how we can get 50% of medical students to become GPs."

Some GP surgeries are testing out new ways of working to improve waiting times for appointments.

Under a system devised by the organisation Patient Access, GPs call back patients within an hour of them ringing the surgery.

Within a week of introducing the system GPs at the Phoenix Surgery in Swindon were dealing with 60% of patients over the phone.

The rest were given same-day appointments for a face-to-face consultation.

Dr Peter Swinyard said: "I can deal with two or three patients in the time it used to take me to deal with one.

"I was terrified. You have been working in a certain pattern for 29 years and now you're doing something different.

"But we are providing a better service, a service that patients have a right to expect."

:: All this week Sky News will have live coverage examining the crisis in the NHS. Watch 'A Matter Of Life And Death' on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Storms: Britain Braced For More Floods And Chaos

A violent storm brewing in the Atlantic is set to bring more flooding and travel chaos today as Britain returns to work after the Christmas holidays.

The weather conditions that brought misery over the festive period continued to prove treacherous at the weekend - with a 47-year-old man becoming the third person to die in the storms.

The scene where the man on his mobility scooter fell into the river

The unnamed man died when his mobility scooter fell into the swollen River Thames at Osney Lock, Oxford, at 6.30pm on Saturday.

A search is continuing for an 18-year-old student who went missing after heading out to take photos of the storms.

Harry Martin was last seen on Thursday afternoon leaving his home in Newton Ferrers, near Plymouth.

A severe flood warning is in place near Bournemouth

Forecasters are warning gusts of up to 70mph will hit western coasts early this morning.

:: Send us your weather photos or video to news@sky.com or text your pictures to 84501

Harry Martin went missing in the storms

As winds whip up rough seas in the Atlantic, it could lead to even further coastal flooding with 10-metre-high waves possible for southwest England, Wales and western Scotland.

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.

Up to 40mm of rain could fall in higher ground.

With the ground saturated already following recent storms, the Environment Agency (EA) has issued one severe flood warning - near Bournemouth, Dorset - and more than 300 flood warnings and alerts covering every region in England and Wales.

It urged communities in Dorset and Oxfordshire to prepare for "significant flooding" in the lower reaches of the Thames, Dorset Stour and Frome rivers.

More flooding is expected on the Somerset Levels and rivers in the South East, including the Severn, remain "very high" after recent rainfall.

This is the latest storm front to hit Britain

The EA said some 220 properties had been flooded so far, miles of coastline had been battered and roads and fields across the country left under water.

The severe weather has already taken its toll on the transport network and more disruption expected 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.

First Great Western warned passengers there was a risk to services in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset.

A yellow warning has been issued for the whole of west Britain

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.

The Thames Barrier was in operation last night to protect people and property along the river.

Residents in Wales are bracing themselves for more flooding and damage after the worst storms in 15 years battered the coastline on Friday.

Aberystwyth University is evacuating students who live in halls of residence facing the seafront as more strong winds approach.

Tewkesbury is underwater due to floods again

Sky News weather producer Jo Robinson said: "As the UK returns to work after the Christmas and New Year holidays, some travel disruption is likely on Britain's roads and railways.

"Also, there's likely to be more flooding, with coastal areas at greatest risk as winds gust up to 70mph in the West.

"The storm system out in the Atlantic has whipped up the sea creating a large swell which is heading towards us early on Monday morning, so that combined with strong winds could cause flooding at high tide.

"The spring tides are past their peak now, but the high-tide waters are still likely to cause concern."

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