A woman runs past heavy seas on Blackpool Promenade, northern Britain, yesterday.  Abigail, the first named storm to hit Britain, whipped up winds of up to 84 miles per hour and cut power to 12,000 home according to local media reports.

Agencies
London
Communities in northern England face the risk of significant river flooding this weekend as heavy rain is expected to fall on already saturated ground.
The Environment Agency warned that Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and North and West Yorkshire are areas most at risk from significant river and localised surface water flooding today evening and into tomorrow.
The flood risk comes as heavy, persistent rain is set to affect parts of northern England, with a month’s rain potentially falling on localised high ground today evening and tomorrow morning, following days of wet and windy weather, the agency said.
Craig Woolhouse, the Environment Agency’s director of incident management, said: “River levels across northern England are already high and are expected to rise with this further heavy rainfall, bringing with them a significant risk of flooding.
“We are working closely with the emergency services and partners to prepare ahead of the weekend.
“Our teams are already in action clearing watercourses, maintaining existing defences and standing ready to deploy temporary pumps and defences where these can be effective.”
Two 24ft long, high-volume water pumps have been dispatched to Cumbria, which are capable of pumping 120,000 cubic litres of flood water a minute, the equivalent of more than 30 Wembley Stadiums.
The Environment Agency is also urging people to check for flood risks, and not to drive through flood water, warning that 1ft of water is enough to move a car.
There are currently two flood warnings in place - at Keswick Campsite in Cumbria, and at Aberystwyth in West Wales - and 23 flood alerts, where flooding is possible, with the EA saying it will issue flood warnings where necessary.