Now Britain is on FLOOD ALERT: UK to be hit by freak gales and more heavy rain

Gales are forecast through battered Britain yesterday with more rain, sleet and even snow forecast in parts today.

The good news is that after an unsettled start to the holiday things should settle down by Easter Sunday with the outlook better for next week.

A ferocious Atlantic weather system unleashed mayhem yesterday toppling trees and damaging homes.

Winds of up to 100mph were recorded in Wales as gusts topping 80mph ripped through Yorkshire leaving a trail of destruction.

The roof off a house in the village of Mountain Ash, Wales, was torn off while the Severn Bridge closed due to high winds.

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In Manchester gusts ripped trees from the ground while heavy downpours flooded homes as the River Mersey burst its banks.

A tug boat in Southampton capsized with two oil refinery workers on board during fierce gales on Monday night.

Both men were rescued by RNLI lifeboat crew near Fawley Refinery after a dramatic rescue mission was launched.

Experts warn there is more misery to come as the big Easter Getaway kicks off on Thursday morning.

Motorists have been  urged to allow more time for journeys and check vehicles as more than 16 million people hit the roads.

The Met Office has warned of more bad weather today with heavy and persistent rain likely through the rest of the week.

Forecaster Dan Williams said plunging temperatures tonight threaten to bring snow over low levels of the north.

He said: “In Scotland we are looking at wintry showers even over lower ground through Tuesday night.

“On Wednesday the winds won’t have completely died down so it is still going to be breezy and we have an area of rain pushing in very slowly.

‘On Friday another front moves in bringing more rain which again moves across quite slowly from the west.

“The weekend is looking fairly cloudy but compared to the beginning of the week will be more benign.”

The Environment Agency has issued a raft of flood alerts across southern and western England where river levels are rising.

Parts of Somerset, Herefordshire, Wales and Derbyshire along the Rivers Severn, Wye and Dove are all on alert.

Leon Brown, forecaster for the Weather Channel UK, said things will start to improve on Good Friday.

He said next week could see a drastic improvement with sunshine and temperatures of 61F (16C) on the cards.

He said: “There is a lot of cloud moving in from the Atlantic from Wednesday to Friday with light rain and drizzly weather slowly edging eastwards.

“A gradual improvement on Good Friday will see the damp weather move out over the North Sea, but there will still be scattered showers over the north and west for the afternoon.

“There will be a lot of cloud for Saturday with light showers over central and North East Britain.

“The good news is that next week currently looks dry and settled as high pressure sits over the UK, in the sunshine it will feel quite pleasant with temperatures lifting to the mid-teens.”

Temperatures in the run up to Easter will hover around freezing in the north with highs of just 5C (41F) or 6C (43F) elsewhere.

Bitter winds will make it feel close to -6C (21F) in parts while the risk of snow will last through the week.

Chris Burton, forecaster for The Weather Network, said Sunday and Monday will bring the best of any good weather.

He said: “It is set to remain unsettled through Thursday and into Good Friday but as we go into the Easter weekend, it should become drier as high pressure builds.

“A few showers are still expected through Saturday, but by Easter Sunday and Monday much of the country will be dry and although there will be a fair amount of cloud, some sunshine should break through at times.

“It will still be rather cool for early April with overnight frosts and daytime temperatures just into double figures, but it should feel a touch milder than of late with lighter winds.”

James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said: “Good Friday is likely to see a continuation of the cold and unsettled theme as an extensive area of low pressure passes  through the country.

“This will bring some snow across higher ground in parts of the north through Friday and into Saturday with the potential for wintry showers across other parts of the country.

“Saturday is also likely to remain unsettled with some rather subdue temperatures for the time of the year in places.

“However, there is likely to be some improvements in the overall picture as we head into the second half of the Easter weekend and Easter Monday.

Winds topped 97mph last night at Capel Curig, Wales, with gusts of 82mph recorded at High Bradfield, inYorkshire.

Although it has not felt like it over the past few days March has been unusually sunny according to provisional Met office figures.

There have been 115 hours of sunshine with just 80.4mm of rain also making it a drier than average month.