The Road to Hull is paved with,uh, bits of Hull...?
Lethal storm and tidal surge sees thousands out of homes
Thousands of people are being evacuated from their homes as a severe storm batters large parts of the UK.
England's east coast is experiencing the worst tidal surge in 60 years, while in north Wales, residents had to be rescued by lifeboat crews.
A lorry driver died after his vehicle was blown onto two cars in West Lothian, while another man was killed by a falling tree in Nottinghamshire.
The Environment Agency has more than 55 severe flood warnings in place.
It confirmed to the BBC the North Sea tidal surge is the worst since January 1953, although flood defences built since then meant many parts of the country were now better protected.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson - who chaired two of the government's emergency Cobra meetings on Thursday - said the Armed Forces were on standby to help if necessary.
In Lincolnshire, emergency planners say up to 18,000 homes in the Boston area could be affected by flooding.
Water breached the town's sea defences, leading to the closure of several streets and the evacuation of vulnerable people.
In Great Yarmouth, on the Norfolk coast, police are visiting 9,000 homes to advise people to leave their homes ahead of a storm surge expected at high tide, at 22:45 GMT.
Respite centres have been opened in high schools and the ill and elderly people have been asked to call the council for help. In addition, 20,000 sandbags have been distributed.
More than 1,000 sand bags have been handed out in Aldeburgh, Suffolk in preparation for the tidal surge. A minibus is collecting people in vulnerable areas and taking them to a rest centre.
Elsewhere, about 400 people were told to leave their homes in Rhyl, Denbighshire, while police say 300 people have been urged to find safety in Port Clarence, Middlesbrough.
The storm has hit north Wales, where there has been flooding in coastal areas
An Environment Agency spokesman said that in the "worst-case scenario" 6,000 properties in England and Wales could be flooded.
In addition to more than 55 severe flood warnings - meaning there could be a danger to life - the agency has nearly 120 flood warnings in place.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 15 flood warnings.
Firefighters are evacuating 2,500 homes in Jaywick, near Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, while homes and businesses are also at risk in Suffolk, Norfolk and in Lincolnshire, thousands from coastal areas are being evacuated to Scunthorpe.
Residents in Kent are also being warned of the danger of flooding. In Seasalter 70 properties have been evacuated as well as 200 in Faversham ahead of expected flooding in the early hours of Friday.
Cobra meeting
Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted that he was ensuring all government departments and agencies were doing "all they can to help with [the] storm".
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson also urged people "to pay close attention to announcements by the Environment Agency".
Other developments include:
64,000 homes in Scotland, 1,400 in Northern Ireland and 6,000 in Cumbria are without power due to disruption caused by the storm
In Rhyl, around 400 properties are without power
A school in Hartlepool was closed when storm-force winds ripped away part of its roof, as was one in Doncaster
The River Tyne burst its banks in Newcastle, forcing Newcastle Crown Court to be cleared
There are several warnings of affected travel, including:
Rail delays expected in Scotland, northern and eastern England, although services between Edinburgh and Glasgow and Edinburgh and North Berwick have resumed
There is disruption to a number of services, including those run by Virgin Trains, Northern Rail, Greater Anglia and Southeastern
East Coast Trains says it will run a revised timetable
East Midlands Trains says most of its routes are disrupted and is advising customers not to travel unless necessary
The Humber Bridge is closed in both directions due to strong winds
The storm has also brought disruption to parts of northern Europe, leaving at least four people dead or missing.
Dutch airline KLM cancelled 84 continental flights from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, while around 20 were cancelled at Hamburg airport.
One of Europe's longest bridges - connecting Sweden to Denmark - is closed.
BBC weather presenter Matt Taylor explained that "storm surges" begin when a rising area of low pressure takes pressure off the surface of the sea, allowing it to "bulge" upwards.
"Then, as that pulls away, you get the very strong winds on the back edge of the low pressure and then that shoves that bulge of high sea levels down through the North Sea," he said.
The Met Office said there had been severe gales of between 60mph and 80mph across Scotland and northern parts of England, with some mountainous regions in Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire recording speeds of around 140mph.
Conditions across the UK are expected to have improved by the weekend.
Europe is smote on Thorsday
European storm and tidal surge cause evacuations and travel chaos
A major storm has hit northern Europe, leaving at least four people dead or missing, causing transport chaos and threatening the biggest tidal surge in decades.
Dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed in the Netherlands, Germany and Scotland, while rail services were shut down in several countries.
One of Europe's longest bridges - connecting Sweden to Denmark - closed.
Tens of thousands of homes were also left without power as the storm hit.
Winds of up to 228 km/h (142 mph) battered Scotland, where a lorry driver was killed when his vehicle was blown over near Edinburgh. At least two other people were injured by falling trees.
Police have confirmed reports that a man has been killed by a falling tree in Nottinghamshire, central England.
Two sailors were reportedly swept overboard from a ship 22 km (14 miles) off the southern Swedish coast, and air-sea rescue services failed to find them.
A storm surge is due later on Thursday, coinciding with high tides in many areas.
Britain's Environment Agency said tidal surges could bring significant coastal flooding, and the Thames Barrier was being closed to protect London.
British authorities said they had evacuated homes in Great Yarmouth, eastern England, adding that it could be the biggest storm surge for 60 years.
In the low-lying Netherlands, the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier has been closed off for the first time in six years. Dutch authorities said they had issued the highest possible flood warning for four areas in the north and north-west of the country.
Germany reinforced emergency services in and around the northern port of Hamburg and cancelled lessons at several schools.
Flights cancelled
The storm was causing transport chaos throughout northern Europe.
Dutch airline KLM cancelled 84 flights from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, while about 20 were cancelled at Hamburg airport.
Flights from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports in Scotland were also cancelled.
Rail travel was badly affected, with all train services in Scotland cancelled because of debris on the lines and damage to equipment, and services in northern England were also hit.
The Oeresund road and rail bridge between Sweden and Denmark - which links the Danish capital Copenhagen with the Swedish city of Malmo and features in the hit television series The Bridge - was due to close from 1500 GMT.
Railway lines in Sweden and Denmark were closed, while Germany's national railway, Deutsche Bahn, warned of likely disruption across a swathe of northern Germany.
Ferries to Germany from Sweden and Denmark were cancelled.
My neck of the woods has been fine, apart from some heavy rain
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