Britain recovering from wicked storm's strong gales*

By Gary Cleland
Last Updated: 2:44am GMT 10/12/2007

Winds of more than 80 mph battered Britain over the weekend, forcing
people from their homes and causing mudslides, flooding and traffic
accidents.

Britain recovers from storm's strong gales
Children dodge waves on the seafront in Southsea

The Met Office issued severe gale warnings across large swathes of the
country while the Environment Agency put 12 flood warnings in place.

Winds of 70 mph were recorded near Swansea Sunday morning, while ships
reported even stronger gales of more than 80 mph close to the Scilly
Isles off Cornwall. The storms also produced around 1.5 ins of rainfall
over the weekend in the wettest places.

The worst-hit areas were South West England and Wales, where police
warned residents to stay indoors and to keep off the roads for their own
safety.

A South Wales Police spokesman said: "One road in Maesteg has collapsed
causing residents from about 20 houses to be evacuated. There has been a
landslide into their gardens. "

In the village of Kerswell in Devon, a dog walker became trapped in a
gushing storm drain after he jumped into floodwater to save his pet dog
and was dragged along for 100 ft. The man was recovering after being
pulled to safety by passers-by, who also managed to resuscitate his dog.

In Poole in Dorset, a woman lost control of her car and drove it into
the harbour. She was rescued by fishermen who threw her a lifebelt as
her vehicle began to sink.

Coastguards in Lyme Regis also rescued a man who took a dinghy out onto
the water on his own with just one oar and got caught up in a 30 ft
swell. A lifeboatman broke his wrist during the rescue.

However, the Met Office has promised that the worst of the weather is over.

A forecaster said: "The Eastern areas of Britain will probably see a few
showers today, but then we will see calmer, brighter weather across the
country. We expect a much quieter week."

Despite the bad weather, forecasters say that this autumn is on course
to be one of the driest since records began in 1914.