UK braced for flooding as high tides peak
The Environment Agency has issued 21 severe flood warnings - which mean "danger to life" - affecting south-west England, Gloucestershire and Wales.
The Met Office has warned of flooding in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
On Thursday, Environment Minister Owen Paterson said "exceptional weather" would hit the UK on Friday and over the weekend.
Many of the severe flood warnings relate to the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, with the highest risk of flooding expected for two to four hours either side of Friday morning's high tides.
High water is expected at 05:42 GMT at Penzance, 06:54 at Plymouth, 07:05 at Barnstaple and 07:57 at Weymouth in Dorset.
Waves more than 30ft (10m) high are expected to hit Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly later, and a "major incident" has been declared by local authorities.
Many parts of the UK are already flooded following heavy rain in recent days
In Wales, the Environment Agency has issued a severe flood warning for the area of Barmouth on the west coast, saying widespread flooding of properties was likely and warning that stones and other debris in the waves could seriously injure people.
The agency also issued severe warnings for Greenfield to Bagillt and the Point of Ayr in north Wales and the Usk Estuary at Crindau in the south.
Three severe warnings are also in place around the River Severn downstream from Gloucester.
More than 400 lower-level flood alerts and warnings are in place across England and Wales.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued dozens of flood warnings, but at present none of them are "severe".
The Met Office has warned tides could be "very high", and also said heavy rain falling on saturated ground was likely to cause "some flooding" in Scotland.
The Scottish government said the tidal surge was expected at lunchtime, particularly around the Firth of Clyde, Solway Firth and Ayrshire.
The high tides are expected in Northern Ireland at about midday, and police have warned areas of Belfast could be evacuated.
Officers said they were particularly concerned about Victoria Park, the Sydenham area, the docks area and Corporation Street in the east of the city.
Many areas had better weather on Thursday - but more rain is now expected
The Environment Agency and HM Coastguard have asked people to stay away from coastal areas due to the risk of being swept out to sea.
A woman drowned in the sea off Devon on Tuesday, and the search for a man washed out to sea in the early hours of New Year's Day off Cornwall ended after a body was found.
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings - the lowest of its three levels - for rain and high winds on Friday in Northern Ireland and western parts of Scotland, Wales and England.
Further yellow warnings have been issued for Sunday.
Some travel disruption is expected, with some ferry services already cancelled due to the weather.
Most airports and train companies are not currently warning passengers of expected disruption, but Arriva Trains Wales has said services could be affected by the weather.
Numerous roads have been flooded in recent days and the AA said on Thursday that it had been to 1,500 call-outs from stranded drivers since 23 December.
Thousands of homes have suffered power cuts due to the recent storms, with some cut off for several days, while many properties have been flooded.
Source:BBC
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