UK flooding: Heavy rain and strong winds warning, see photos

Wind and rain will continue to batter parts of England and Wales in the wake of Storm Angus, which has caused flash flooding and travel chaos.

The south west and north west of England and south Wales have been hit by torrential downpours.

A ferry has been stranded at sea, roads have been closed and trains cancelled. Flood sirens have also been sounded in Yorkshire.

Forecasters warned conditions were not set to improve until later this week.

Further squally weather is due to persist throughout Tuesday, with gusts of about 50mph expected to continue over higher ground and coastal areas in the South East.

The Environment Agency has more than 50 flood warnings in place - meaning flooding is expected and immediate action is required - in England and Wales, with more than 200 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.

Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: "Throughout today the wet and windy weather within that low pressure area will slowly move into the North Sea.

"Behind this most places will still see showers, some heavy but getting lighter during the day."

A yellow warning of rain in force over a broad area of the North East was lifted at 06:00 GMT, along with a yellow warning of wind covering much of Cumbria.

On Monday, torrential downpours lashed down across most of the country and caused widespread problems.

A Stena Europe ferry which left Ireland at 09:00 GMT on Monday was unable to dock at Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, "due to extreme weather conditions".

The ship left Rosslare with 87 passengers and 59 crew onboard and was due to dock at 12:30 on Monday.

After a second attempt to dock failed, it was decided to stay at sea overnight ahead of a third attempt scheduled for 12:00 on Tuesday.

In the North West, a tree fell on to overhead power lines in Withington in Manchester, causing damage to a tram on the Metrolink network. No-one was injured.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said it received 230 emergency calls on Monday night and dealt with 157 incidents, including rescuing dogs from a kennel in Mossley.

Areas of Tameside including Stalybridge were also affected. Engineers worked through the night to restore power to 16,000 properties, while about 500 remained without power.

The Well-I-Hole bridge in Greenfield, Oldham, was shut amid concerns it was in danger of collapse.

In the North East the East Coast Mainline was blocked between Newcastle and Berwick.

Christmas flooding

Trains between Shrewsbury and Hereford were cancelled after part of a railway line became flooded.

Heavy rain caused flooding between Shrewsbury and Craven Arms, meaning all lines between the two stations were blocked. A limited service was expected from about 09:30 GMT.

The Orwell Bridge on the A14 near Ipswich was closed due to strong winds.

In Yorkshire people living in the Calder Valley, including the town of Hebden Bridge which was devastated by flooding last Christmas, have been warned to expect the rivers to flood.

In Plymouth the train line between Tiverton Parkway and Exeter St David's was severely damaged by floodwater, and the Tarka line was closed.

Network Rail said there will be no trains in and out of Exeter for 48 hours.

Storm Angus had already brought gusts of more than 80mph and caused power cuts for more than 1,000 homes in the South West on Sunday.

Flooding shut roads and the wind brought down power cables in Devon.

Eleven crew members also had to be rescued from a cargo ship after it crashed into a stone barge off Dover and began taking on water.

The Environment Agency said it was preparing to put up temporary defences "where necessary" and that rivers had been cleared to make sure water could flow freely.

Motorists are being warned not to drive through floodwater, and residents in at-risk areas have been advised to contact their local councils for sandbags to protect their homes.