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A 200m-long cargo ship has hit a barge full of rocks in the English Channel, as Storm Angus continues to batter the south coast of England.
Eleven of the 23 crew members are so far known to have been evacuated by helicopter after the ship got into difficulty off Samphire Hoe near Dover.
The RNLI said a tug from Boulogne was on its way to remove the ship, and lifeboats are standing by.
Storm Angus has lashed the south of England with high winds and rain.
‘Major incident’
A RNLI spokesman said of the stricken ship: “At this point there is no indication of any environmental leak concerning the cargo ship’s fuel.”
The tug was expected to be on site to secure the Saga Sky by late morning, and while the barge was taking on water it was not currently thought it would sink, the spokesman added.
Coastguard duty commander Steve Carson said: “The weather conditions this morning are particularly challenging and we have declared this a major incident.”
He said two helicopters were evacuating the crew.
Storm Angus – the first named storm of the winter – has brought gusts of up to 106mph, recorded 23 miles off the coast of Margate, while gusts hit 80mph at Langdon Bay, both in Kent.
More than 15 flood warnings and a Met Office amber warning of high winds for the Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex are in place.
The cargo ship – the Saga Sky – hit a barge carrying rocks
The Met Office said gusts of 70-80mph were possible in those areas and residents were warned to be prepared for disruption to travel services and power supplies, and some damage to buildings.
More than 1,000 properties in the south west of England – the majority in Devon – are without power, said Western Power Distribution.
A Met Office yellow “be aware” warning for winds of up to 65mph and heavy rain has also been issued for an area stretching from the South West along the coast to south-east and east England, including London, and is valid until 14:00 GMT.
In Brighton, scaffolding fell on top of a car overnight
Waves crashed into the sea wall in Newhaven, East Sussex
Devon and Cornwall Police declared a major incident because of flooding at the Mill on the Mole residential park, South Molton, at 04:15 GMT, but residents who had been evacuated were able to return by 05:50.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said some properties in Braunton and in Bradiford had been flooded.
Meanwhile, fire crews have been called to flooding to roads and “multiple properties” from sea water in East Bar, Swanage.
At times on the seafront, it’s been difficult for us to stay on our feet, so strong is the wind.
As well as the gusts, it’s been raining heavily too, and the waves are crashing onto the shore.
People who live along the seafront are used to stormy weather, but some say this is the worst it’s been for a while.
Many had sleepless nights as the wind whipped up, and one unlucky motorist awoke to find scaffolding had come down on top of his car.
We’ve also seen roof tiles blown down. This isn’t the end of it either – the winds are due to remain strong throughout the morning.
Judging by the rather deserted seafront, many have decided that the best option is to stay indoors until this eventually blows through.
In East Sussex, organisers of the Brighton 10k tweeted that the run had been cancelled because of the high winds.
And in West Sussex. fire crews tackled a “major” fire on Signor Regis seafront in the “difficult conditions” brought by Angus.
Church Street in Braunton, Devon, flooded overnight
Swanage Fire Station tweeted this picture of damage to the sea wall in Swanage
And they advised people to avoid Swanage High Street
Courtesy of BBC News
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