A tidal surge in the North Sea prompted fears of serious flooding along the east coast of England on Friday.

The conditions were not a worry for everyone. Surfers such as this one in Gorleston-on-Sea made the most of the unusually rough seas.

Here a young girl gets a gets a good view of waves crashing against sea defences at Southwold in Suffolk.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes in East Anglia. At least one dog in Walcott near Great Yarmouth managed to avoid getting its paws wet.

People line the seafront to watch a spectacular display of waves crashing against the coast at Gorleston-on-Sea in Norfolk.

The storm saw seas whipped up along the coast. Reader Keith Deacon took this picture of the pier at Cromer in Norfolk.

The Environment Agency said sea levels were not as high as expected. Even so, Walcott experienced waves as tall as a house.

Another scene from the beach at Walcott. The village was one of the worst affected, with water breaching its sea wall.

London's Thames Barrier was closed as a precaution overnight, and then again on Friday morning.

For some Great Yarmouth commuters Friday morning's journey to work involved a drive along water-logged roads.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said it had been a "close run thing" in places such Great Yarmouth, but that the worst was now over.