Wind and heavy rain have caused flooding in coastal regions since the beginning of the week. On Wednesday, the Met Office warned, "Another band of heavy rain is due to sweep across southern Britain on Thursday into Friday… A separate area of low pressure is then expected to bring more rain and very strong winds on Saturday."

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As the harsh weather could lead to more flooding and disruption, the Met Office has issued several Severe Weather Warnings lasting up until the end of the week.  Much of the South Coast is currently covered by an amber warning, which will last until Saturday.

Andy Page, Met Office Chief Meteorologist, said, "The unsettled weather will continue over the coming days with heavy rain across the southern half of Britain on Thursday evening into Friday, and that will be quickly followed by another storm moving in early on Saturday.

"This will bring the risk of flooding and damaging winds bringing down trees to cause disruption to travel and power networks."

There are two severe flood warnings – indicating potential danger to life – currently in force in the South West region (these cover A361 between East Lyng and Burrowbridge, and Salt Moor and North Moor in Somerset). There are also 55 active flood warnings and over 200 flood alerts, covering every region of England and Wales except for the North East.

The Environment Agency has recommended that 150 homes in Somerset should be evacuated, given the threat of further flooding. An emergency centre has been set up at North Petherton near Bridgwater to accommodate those who choose to leave their homes. Farm businesses in Somerset have been especially hard hit, with livestock farmers deeply concerned by the lack of fodder and no sign that the situation will ease. Some, whose animals were already housed on higher ground, have been forced to move them further afield to escape the waters.

Areas of Southern England saw over 225 percent of their average monthly rainfall in January and parts of the Somerset Levels have been underwater since before Christmas.

In an update, an Environment Agency Spokesperson said, "This week Environment Agency teams [will be] out in force, deploying demountable defences, deploying sandbags along riverbanks, clearing river blockages, monitoring water levels, and sending out flood warnings. The pumping operation on the Somerset Levels continues around the clock, with up to 2.9 million tonnes of water being pumped off the Levels every day."

Speculation continues around Paterson absence

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that £100 million will be spent on flood defences as storms continue to batter the South West.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, who has come under renewed fire in recent weeks over his handling of affairs at Defra, will miss another Cobra meeting on Thursday 6th February. Although Defra would not comment on the Prime Minister's decision to chair Wednesday's Cobra meeting, a spokesperson for the department said on Thursday that Mr Paterson will be undergoing surgery for a detached retina, and so will not be present.

Paterson was also due to give a statement in the Commons, updating parliament on the flooding situation in the UK, which he will not now make. Government sources said communities Secretary Eric Pickles has been drafted in to replace Mr Paterson.

A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed that Mr Paterson was available to chair Wednesday's emergency meeting, but that the Prime Minister had chosen to do so himself. The Downing Street spokesperson assured that the Prime Minister still has faith in the Environment Secretary, whose position has come under close scrutiny this week after the PM has apparently taken personal control of aspects of Mr Paterson's remit and the Green Party in the flood-hit South West have called for his resignation.

Government must join up priorities on climate resilience and food security

Commenting on the situation in Somerset, which remains at the centre of discussions over flooding, Charles Cowap, a chartered surveyor, agricultural valuer and senior lecturer at Harper Adams University, stated, "We can't categorically say that the extreme floods and storms are due to climate change. They might have happened anyway. But we can say that this is typical of what we are likely to see more of as climate in the UK does change - more rain, more extreme weather events, less seasonal variation."

As some villages on the Somerset Levels remain cut-off by flood waters, which are reportedly rising in some areas, leading farmers to take emergency measures to protect their animals, a Comres survey has shown that two-thirds of the public lack faith in the government's attempts to address flooding. Earlier this week, it was revealed that spending on domestic climate change adaptation measures has been slashed by 41 percent in the last financial year.

Speaking to Farming Online on Thursday, Mr Cowap said, "Turning to the adequacy of measures to protect farmland, they have clearly been inadequate in areas like the Somerset Levels. But this raises a much bigger question for government and farmers themselves. What would be an appropriate set of measures, at what cost, and what benefit must required and demonstrated to put them in place?

"For example the Somerset Levels is a low lying area and to keep it dry enough it is likely that more and more dredging and more and more pumping will be required. How far should the taxpayer go in funding this, and with a view to what benefits?"

Mr Cowap continued, "Actually getting a proper measure on these benefits is a huge challenge: can agricultural productivity generate the revenue? Do we need to be putting a value on other natural -non-market - benefits and costs? A huge amount of research has been undertaken in recent years on these broader questions. The current state of the Somerset Levels and other areas underlines the urgent need to ensure that this is developed into practical on-the-ground solutions. Government needs to make sure that its priorities for food self-sufficiency and resilience are joined up with its priorities for the long term protection and development of natural capital."

Commenting on the potential for further flooding on Wednesday, John Curtin, Head of Incident Management at the Environment Agency, said, "Following the wettest January on record for England successive bands of heavy rain are forecast, lasting into the weekend.

"With further river and coastal flooding expected this week we have teams working around the clock to protect homes and communities… We urge people to stay safe and not to walk or drive through flood water which can be dangerous."

Those in at-risk regions are advised to sign up to EA flood alerts.