At least four people were dead last night as fresh floods and storms raged across southern England and parts of Wales, bringing with them more rail and road chaos.
More than 150 flood warnings were in force as gusting winds of more than 60 m.p.h. hit the Solent between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.
High winds forced the closure of the Severn Crossing near Bristol after a night of storms and torrential rain which at one point saw west Wales virtually cut off from the rest of the country.
Flooded lines in the West Country added to the disruption of services to and from London. Ferry services were hit, the AA warned of "treacherous" conditions for drivers, particularly in Devon and Cornwall, and Somerset faced the prospect of the highest floodwater levels this century.
A man and woman died yesterday after their car went over a bridge close to Cheriton Fitzpaine, near Crediton in Devon.
The unnamed woman's body was found in the upturned vehicle by Ms Linda Mawson. The woman's companion was swept away by strong river currents and subsequently recovered by police.
Ms Mawson described her grim discovery: "Just a few yards down the stream I saw the car. The water was a raging torrent, it was very scary."
Two teenage students died on Thursday night when their car was involved in a head-on collision in torrential rain just outside Winchester.
Ms Tara Dance (19) and Mr Alistair Tremlett (17) were killed when their Peugeot collided with a BMW just outside Winchester, and three other passengers in their car suffered leg injuries. The driver of the BMW suffered shock and whiplash.
At least two trains collided with fallen trees as railways repaired after the last round of flooding were again submerged.
In the south-west, services faced to a week of disruption after First Great Western halted trains at Taunton because of a flooded bridge north of Exeter and organised buses to take passengers from Devon to Bristol.
Passengers travelling through Bristol to London and south Wales also faced delays as trains were diverted around a flooded tunnel at Chipping Sodbury.
In Cardiff, residents of 13 houses were evacuated as a precaution after high winds fanned flames from a nearby blaze in a derelict building.
In Wales people had to be rescued from cars stuck in rising waters while coastguards and police, clad in wetsuits, rescued a man stuck up to his waist in mud at a flooded caravan park in Dawlish Warren, Devon.
By early evening, the Environment Agency had issued five severe flood warnings in Wales, the midlands and southern England. A further 152 flood warnings were in force across England and Wales.