Man dies as heavy rains lash England

A man died after being washed off a harbour wall in Ramsgate, Kent, as strong winds and heavy rain battered parts of Britain yesterday.Kent police said they were called to the scene in the Royal Harbour, Ramsgate, at around 11.30am yesterday reacting to reports three people were in the water.A force spokeswoman said: “Three men were recovered from the water, but one was later pronounced dead at the scene. The other two were taken to hospital for treatment. The death is not being treated as suspicious. Inquiries are ongoing to identify next of kin.” It came as Kent and Surrey were forecast to receive more than a month’s worth of rain and as swathes of the country faced a cold, wet and windy start to the week.The windy, wet weather affected east, south-east and central England, the Met Office said. It warned of floods, power cuts and damage to trees and other structures. Temperatures were expected to remain low with a high of 8C (46F) forecast for London, 12C in Manchester and 6C in Norwich.Nearly 40 “be prepared” flood alerts were active yesterday afternoon, mostly for south-east England, while two “flooding is expected” warnings were in force in north-east England and Anglia.“It’s the south-east portion of the UK that will be getting the worst of the weather,” the Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said. The North Downs between Kent and Surrey could receive up to 80mm of rain, compared with the April average for the area of 50mm.In the Channel, force nine gales and rough seas were delaying shipping, with P&O Ferries reporting three-hour delays in departures from Dover.Flooding at the Crooked Billet underpass in Walthamstow, north London, caused long delays for rush-hour motorists and one lane remained closed, Transport for London said.