The RAF rescued men from a French boat

At the opposite end of the UK, 18 seamen from a French fishing boat are recovering after being rescued from the North Sea by an RAF helicopter.

The boat's skipper is missing after he was believed to have been washed overboard.

In Sussex, coastguards say there is no hope that a man who was swept into the sea from Brighton Pier will be found alive.

A fisherman is in a critical condition in a south Wales hospital after being rescued from the sea unconscious after being hit by a wave. A search for a second man believed to be in the sea has been scaled down.

Landslide

A total of 15 families were evacuated from their homes on Saturday in Gwent, in Wales after landslides. No one was injured.

And in a separate incident in Cwm, near Ebbw Vale in Gwent, 10 elderly residents had to be evacuated from their homes after a railway track siding collapsed due to bad weather.

There are almost 100 flood warnings still in place across Britain as winds and heavy rain have caused widespread travel disruption.

The French Le Perrain fishing vessel went adrift about 250 miles north west of the Outer Hebrides on Friday, and drifted without power all night in 70mph winds and 30ft waves.

On Sunday, the winds will ease down but rain is likely to continue

BBC Weather Centre

On Saturday, the RAF helicopter had only 20 minutes to winch all the crewmen off the vessel before having to head back to refuel.

RAF Kinloss spokesman Michael Mulford said: "The helicopter was operating at its absolute limits.

"It was an epic rescue."

The fishing boat is expected to be lost in the rough seas.

Environmental fears were raised as the abandoned 6,000-tonne Kodima cargo vessel drifted off the coast of Cornwall on Saturday.

'Sensitive'

The Maltese-registered vessel, carrying timber and 500 tonnes of oil, hit a sandy beach in Whitsand Bay.

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman said a salvage operation was underway and there did not appear to be an oil leak.

He added: "It's a sensitive area and we have been conducting a risk assessment but the weather is filthy and anything we do is likely to be dictated by the weather."

Two tugs had been following the boat all day as it drifted, trying to attach lines and save it.

Police are warning motorists to be careful

In Cumbria, three people were rescued from their car by emergency services after they became caught in flood waters overnight.

In west Cornwall 14-year-old Daniel Peterson and his friends helped rescue a couple whose car was swamped by waves.

Residents in York are keeping a close watch on the rising River Ouse which has already flooded some properties.

A spokesman for train operator GNER said some services had been disrupted due to the weather and advised passengers not to travel to or from London's Kings Cross.

GNER services are still operating between Peterborough, Yorkshire, the north east of England and Scotland.

More rain

Forecasters say winds will abate by Sunday but downpours could cause flooding. The wet conditions are expected to continue into next week.

Coastal flooding could affect parts of Devon and Cornwall, and 49 flood warnings are in place across Wales, with severe warnings for the rivers Monnow and Usk.

Drivers are being asked to take extra care and, when winds are strong, to travel only on essential journeys.

Pete Gibbs, broadcast meteorologist at the BBC Weather Centre, said: "On Sunday, the winds will ease down but rain is likely to continue across southern England."

He said Scotland would be getting less extreme weather by Sunday night.