Weather: Aberystwyth 'Damage' As Tides Hit UK

Flood warnings remain in place as parts of the UK were hit by high tides, causing widespread flooding and evacuations in coastal areas.

The main beach in Aberystwyth was “destroyed” as 6ft waves broke up paving slabs and slammed into buildings.

Millie Farmer, 19, a second-year undergraduate at Aberystwyth University , said residents were evacuated from seafront properties.

She said: “I’ve never seen anything like it before. There were six foot waves crashing on to the beach.

“It was scary – and quite exciting. It must be awful for people whose businesses and homes have been damaged.

“The promenade has been closed. North Beach has been completely destroyed. The slabs on the promenade have been uprooted.”

Images taken on the seafront in the town showed paving slabs and tiles littering the road surface.

The town’s university told its students it was deferring the start of examinations for a week because of the extreme conditions.

Hundreds of homes have already been flooded across the UK after rivers from Cornwall to Scotland burst their banks.

Six severe flood warnings – which indicate a risk to life – are in place in the Midlands and the Southwest as heavy rain and strong winds created exceptionally high tides along the west of the UK.

Forecasters warn the bad weather conditions could return on Sunday, with many areas already saturated.

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The areas worst hit by flooding are the south coasts of Devon and Cornwall, parts of Dorset and Gloucestershire and Wales.

It comes after a major search was launched for an 18-year-old who has not been seen since he left his home to take pictures of the weather.

Harry Martin left his home in Membland, near Plymouth, at around midday on Thursday.

Devon and Cornwall Police said Mr Martin was last seen walking towards the coastal path near his home.

Police, Coastguard, the RNLI and helicopters from the police and RNAS Culdrose are conducting extensive searches around the coast.

The Thames Barrier was shut for three hours on Saturday morning to prevent high tides causing widespread flooding.

Evacuation sirens were also sounded in Portland, near Weymouth, Dorset, due to a severe risk of flooding.

Homes in Newport, South Wales, were evacuated and rough seas caused part of a cliff at Rock-A-Nore, outside Hastings in East Sussex, to collapse.

Three of the severe warnings are on the River Severn, including around the Severn Estuary, with the others at Chiswell, Preston Beach and the Lower Stour in the Southwest.

Nearly 100 flood warnings are also in place across the UK.

The Government has been forced to deny claims that austerity cuts will hit flood defences – despite reports that hundreds of frontline jobs are being cut.

Belfast escaped major flooding on Friday, but similar weather conditions are forecast for Sunday and Monday and sandbag barriers along the Connswater River will remain in place.

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Source Article from http://uk.news.yahoo.com/weather-aberystwyth-39-damage-39-tides-hit-uk-014137245.html

Weather: Aberystwyth 'Damage' As Tides Hit UK