WELL, YOU DID ASK FOR A SEA VIEW WITH YOUR MEAL?
FREAK 10-foot waves smash against the windows of this restaurant – but they failed to stop diners tucking into their meals.
Yet the image perfectly captures the extreme weather, whipped up by Storm Brendan, that has battered Britain this week.
Garry Lowen, owner of Oliver’s On The Beach at Southend-on-Sea in Essex, said: “I have lived in the town all my life and I’ve never seen the effects of the sea like that.
“It was almost like being on the north coast of Scotland.”
The resort on the Thames Estuary was hit by gale-force winds, which caused havoc along the front, forcing businesses to close. In Dorset, at Christchurch and nearby Mudeford, car parks by the quay were under water.
Resident Steve Hogen said: “I’ve lived in Mudeford for 11 years and the flooding is getting worse.”
Storm Brendan has not only whipped up waves at coastal locations, but the driving rain has caused widespread inland flooding.
The River Avon burst its bank, spilling over onto the roads near Chippenham in Wiltshire, leaving vehicles stranded.
Taxi driver Haris Baig, 30, told how he had to slam on his brakes in the high street at Slough, Berks as a large section of a roof landed in front of him. He said: “It was a miracle no one was killed.” There was a reprieve from wind and rain yesterday, but the conditions are expected to return today, beginning in Ireland and Scotland, with winds of between 40mph and 50mph.
The Met Office said tomorrow will be more settled but temperatures are predicted to drop – with an average of 8C across the country.