Storms, floods and a half-ton skip that flew 300 yards

Residents of the seaside town of Filey, North Yorkshire, were evacuated after the fire service received more than 80 calls for help.

All roads into the town were closed by "very deep" standing water and drivers in the area were being warned to be careful.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "Filey has been hit by flash floods following a cloudburst at about 1.45pm."

The town centre was flooded and residents in Rutland Street were evacuated.

Other parts of Britain have been hit by tornados and severe thunderstorms so far this week.

A twister struck a Gloucestershire village with such force it lifted a half-ton skip almost 100 feet into the air.

The metal container was carried for more than 300 yards before it was flung into a farm shed, flattening the out-building and shearing electricity cables, cutting the area's power supply.

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Crashing waves hammer the docks at Portsmouth

No one was injured in the freak storm, which hit the village of Tibberton just before lunchtime, as the heavy winds uprooted ancient oak trees.

Farmer Dennis Nutting said: "We were lucky. If it had been ten feet to one side it could have injured people.

"The tornado lasted a few seconds but the sky was black and it was hailing. The noise was terrific.

"The fact that it could do so much damage in just a few seconds was incredible."

Meanwhile, the Government has announced £10 million in grants for flood-hit schools.

The money will be spent on assessing damage done to buildings and equipment and to pay for temporary classrooms for the new school year, Children, Schools and Families Secretary Ed Balls said.

The money is in addition to the £14 million already announced to deal with flood damage.

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Children don't mind the atrocious weather and play happily in the spray in Southsea

Heavy downpours and thunderstorms continued to drench many areas, with forecasters warning the dismal summer is expected to continue to the end of the month.

Residents were evacuated from a rural market town after a heavy downfall caused widespread flooding. A fire service spokesman said at least ten people had been rescued from homes in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire. It is the second time in only three weeks that the town has been flooded.

Alec Mackie, from Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade, said water had reached three feet in the town centre after a heavy burst of rain.

The Environment Agency still has flood warnings in place for three parts of the country - all in the North-East - as the ground remains saturated from the torrential rain over the last month, while five other areas remain on flood watch.

Met Office forecaster Bob Syvret said: "A large area of low pressure over the whole of the country is responsible for the unstable weather.

"Thunderstorms and heavy showers remain likely throughout the week.

"There seems no let-up for the foreseeable future. But you can't write the summer off yet as the weather could take a turn for the better in August and September."