Carmarthenshire council chief steps down during police inquiry
Carmarthenshire council has hit back at the Wales Audit Office and has defended its actions
Carmarthenshire council's chief executive has stepped down while police investigate payments to him described as unlawful by a spending watchdog.
Mark James had cash payments in lieu of employer pension contributions when he opted out of the staff pension scheme.
Mr James said it was "right and proper" he should not be in the office while police concluded their inquiries.
But he said he was "absolutely certain" that neither he nor any of his officers had done anything wrong.
Gloucestershire Constabulary will conduct the investigation.
The council has maintained the payments were lawful and strongly criticised the Wales Audit Office (WAO).
The payments were to avoid tax liabilities when Mr James left the Local Government Pension Scheme.
More than £27,000 was paid to Mr James under the scheme since 2012.
The WAO said the council had since "rescinded its decision to offer a pay supplement in lieu of pension contributions and announced that no further payments will be made to the chief executive from January 2014".
Mark James received cash payments in lieu of pension contributions
Another WAO report that found a payment to cover Mr James's costs in launching a counter-claim in a libel action brought by a local blogger was also unlawful.
In a statement, council leader Kevin Madge said: "By mutual agreement the Chief Executive Mr Mark James will no longer undertake his duties as chief executive from now until police inquiries concerning the two Wales Audit Office public interest reports have been concluded.
"I welcome the police investigation which will give the public the assurance they deserve.
"The auditor has not referred his reports to the police nor has he made any suggestions of any criminal wrongdoing, and I hope that the investigation can be concluded as quickly as possible in order for us as a council to move forward."
Mr Madge said Deputy Chief Executive Dave Gilbert would fill in for Mr James while he was away.
Mr James said that temporarily stepping down during the police inquiry would "avoid any perception of undue influence being brought to bear".
He added that he hoped the investigation would be conducted "as quickly as possible" as this was "in everyone's best interest".
Mr Madge concluded the statement: "I have nothing further to say on this matter - there will be a full, frank and public debate on the reports at the council meeting of February 27."
Political reform: Has the revolution been cancelled?
By Brian WheelerBBC News political reporter
Five years ago at the height of the expenses scandal we were promised a new kind of politics. How's that going?
Politicians often have to eat their own words, but they normally have some clever get-out clause that allows them to claim that they haven't really broken a promise or done a U-turn.
But in the case of the recall of MPs, David Cameron and Nick Clegg are, it appears, bang to rights.
The 2010 coalition agreement said: "We will bring forward early legislation to introduce a power of recall, allowing voters to force a by-election where an MP is found to have engaged in serious wrong-doing and having had a petition calling for a by-election signed by 10% of his or her constituents."
On Thursday evening, we learned that the power of recall has, well, been recalled. There will be no legislation, early or otherwise.
Recriminations are flying around about who is to blame for this.
But it does appear, on the face of it, to be the final nail in the coffin of the wholesale reform of politics promised by all party leaders in the wake of the 2008 expenses scandal.
The expenses scandal prompted a push for wholesale reforms
What heady days they were.
The political classes were so shocked by the public backlash over expenses that they were suddenly prepared to contemplate all kinds of ideas previously rejected as wild and impractical.
Anything to shake the rapidly solidifying impression that they were a smug, out-of-touch elite only interested in lining their own pockets.
''What I have seen offends my Presbyterian conscience; what I have seen is something that is appalling," said Gordon Brown as he set out details of a Constitutional Renewal Bill.
"The central objective of the new politics we need should be a massive, sweeping, radical redistribution of power," said David Cameron, in an opinion piece for The Guardian.
Zac Goldsmith: "David Cameron has behaved appallingly over this"
"For decades, political reformers have been thwarted by the inertia of Westminster. But the expenses scandal has overturned old certainties and made change possible. This moment must be seized by all those who want a different kind of politics in Britain," said Nick Clegg.
The coalition agreement promised to fix Britain's "broken" political system, adding: "We urgently need fundamental political reform, including a referendum on electoral reform, much greater co-operation across party lines, and changes to our political system to make it far more transparent and accountable."
What remains of that agenda now?
Many smaller items have been ticked off the list - such as online petitions that can trigger debates in Parliament and a backbench business committee in the Commons.
Individual voter registration is also going ahead, as part of efforts to tackle electoral fraud.
And fixed-term parliaments - to end the supposed advantage the ruling party has in choosing the election date - are now a fact of life.
We have also had a referendum on changing the voting system for general elections (remember that?), which resulted in a resounding defeat for those who wanted to scrap the traditional first-past-the post system.
No-to-AV campaigners celebrate their referendum victory
But the promise of a fully or wholly elected House of Lords lies in tatters.
And there is no sign of the 200 all-postal primaries "targeted at seats which have not changed hands for many years".
Big city mayors - a Boris for every city, as David Cameron memorably described it - have also fallen by the wayside after a series of referendums.
Lib Dem commentator Mark Pack says the coalition gets nine out of 10 for effort, but only four out of 10 for achievement.
He says: "One of the reasons it has not changed massively is that the real, genuine public anger over expenses did not convert into sustained public demand for changes in the way that the system operates. It is a shame."
Conservative MP Douglas Carswell is in no doubt that the decision to drop recall represents the death knell for the reform agenda. For now.
"It is bitterly disappointing. It is, I think, a very significant moment," says the maverick backbencher.
"Political reform, at the time of the expenses crisis, was offered by all three party leaders, even Gordon Brown. The coalition could have been extraordinarily radical on this.
"This government could have been different, but I think this marks the moment at which it becomes just another administration."
The problem, argues Mr Carswell, is that the reform agenda was "hijacked by the political class".
They wasted valuable time on things they cared about, such as Alternative Vote and an elected second chamber, but which the public could not care less about, he says.
But reforms that would really have made a difference, such as the giving the public the power to sack their MP, were booted into the long grass, falling victim to the Westminster inertia Nick Clegg once railed against.
"The country is run by a clique sitting on a sofa - and the clique sitting on a sofa don't want to change things," says Mr Carswell.
"They have given us the political reforms the Westminster club wants."
But, he adds, it is only a matter of time before change comes to the British political system: "Spring is on its way and these ideas will be coming back."
What about the argument that MPs were never seriously going to pass a law that would make it easier to be kicked out of their jobs?
"Turkeys don't vote for Christmas but December 25 still happens," he says.
Waite won an Emmy for his role as the Southern family patriarch in The Waltons
Actor Ralph Waite, best known for playing John Walton Sr - Papa Walton - in the long-running TV show The Waltons, has died at the age of 85.
"Ralph was a good honest actor and a good honest man," said Michael Learned, who played his on-screen wife Olivia.
"He was my spiritual husband. We loved each other for over 40 years. He died a working actor at the top of his game.
"He was a loving mentor to many and a role model to an entire generation."
An ordained Presbyterian minister, social worker and former Marine, Waite turned to acting in the early 1960s, starring on Broadway opposite Faye Dunaway in Hogan's Goat.
Small screen roles followed, working alongside the likes of Paul Newman and Jack Nicholson in films such as Cool Hand Luke and Five Easy Pieces.
But it was with The Waltons, which began in 1972, that Waite found global fame.
The actor, already in his mid-40s played Depression-era homesteader John Walton - the father of seven, living in rural Virginia, who worked hard to look after his family while imparting wisdom and authority to his homespun brood.
The Waltons starring Ralph Waite began in 1972
"I am devastated to announce the loss of my precious 'papa' Walton," said Mary McDonough, who played daughter Erin Walton. "I loved him so much; I know he was so special to all of us. He was like a real father to me. Goodnight Daddy. I love you."
The show was an unexpected hit. Running for nine seasons, it prompted a series of movie spin-offs and found viewers around the world.
"Somehow, we struck a vein in the life of the world," Waite, who directed 16 episodes of the series, said in an interview last year with local paper The Lancaster News.
He once recalled a woman who told the actor she was inspired to go to college by the paternal figure of John Walton, Sr.
"She said, 'Now, I'm a lawyer and I don't think I would be if I hadn't seen that show,'" Waite said. "I'm still amazed by that. It happens all the time. The whole thing is still amazing."
Waite played Jackson Gibbs in a handful of episodes of NCIS last year
The actor received an Emmy nomination for his role in The Waltons, and another for his performance in the 1977 mini-series Roots, playing Slater, the first mate of a slave ship.
In 1975 he founded the Los Angeles Actors Theatre, donating $50,000 to get the company off the ground.
Simultaneously he ran for Congress in California three times as a Democrat - albeit unsuccessfully - and, mindful of his own struggles with alcohol, became involved in an alcohol and drug recovery programme.
He remained a working actor until late last year, starring in '90s big screen hits such as Cliffhanger and The Bodyguard.
Last year Waite starred in the crime series NCIS, playing the father to Mark Harmon's protagonist. He also made recent appearances in Bones and US soap Days of Our Lives, as Father Matt.
He was married three times, and is survived by two daughters from his first marriage.
Newcastle United striker Loic Remy: Rape case dropped
Loic Remy is on loan to Newcastle United from Queens Park Rangers
Footballer Loic Remy will face no further action following his arrest over rape claims.
The 27-year-old Newcastle striker was held in May last year along with two other men after a woman alleged she had been attacked in Fulham, west London.
The three were told on Thursday they would face no further action over the allegations.
At the time of Remy's arrest, the French international, who is on loan from QPR, denied the allegation.
US factory output fell in January due to the "severe weather" that hit some parts of the country.
Output fell by 0.8%, the biggest drop in four-and-a-half years, the Federal Reserve said. Compared with a year earlier, output was up by 1.3%.
Car manufacturing was hit particularly hard, as many plants lost at least a day's production due to bad weather.
Analysts had been expecting a sixth straight monthly rise in overall factory output.
Output of electrical equipment, furniture and fabricated metals was also down on the previous month. The "inclement weather in January contributed to some of these decreases," the Fed said.
Total industrial production, which includes mining and utilities, fell by 0.3%. Recent data has shown that retail sales in the US have fallen for the past two months, while jobs growth has also slowed markedly.
But analysts said that although the fall in production was a surprise, it said little about the underlying state of the US economy.
"The big question is whether the US economy is slowing significantly or whether it is merely going through a soft patch caused by extreme weather," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit. "The evidence points to the latter."
He said the figures were unlikely to change the Fed's policy of winding down stimulus measures, known as tapering.
"The Fed will most likely disregard the figures and continue to taper, although any further weakness on the data flow in coming months could prompt a rethink," he said.
Heavy rain and strong winds have been battering Devon and Cornwall again and are expected to cause further flooding across parts of south-west England.
More than 110 households in Ashburton, south Devon, have lost electricity supplies, Western Power Distribution said.
Snow fell on Dartmoor and Exmoor during the morning.
A flood warning is also in place Cornwall's north coast.
Strong winds are forecast from 18:00 GMT into the early hours of Saturday and gusts of up to 80mph are expected in some areas on Friday evening.
The storm-damaged clock tower in Kingsand has once again been battered by large waves
People in Ashburton said rising river levels has resulted in flooded gardens
Driving conditions on Dartmoor were reported as "dreadful"
The BBC's Sarah Ransome in Plymouth said earlier there were large waves crashing into the city's shoreline.
She said: "It's another day, another storm for the South West as it prepares itself for another pounding."
Elsewhere in the area, people in the nearby village of Colebrook reported backyards and gardens flooding and manholes covers being lifted by the force of water.
Colebrook flooded six times in 2012 and some residents were forced from their homes for up to six months.
A £1.5m scheme by South West Water, the Environment Agency and Plymouth City Council which was due to be built later this month was undergoing the final stages of its design process, South West Water said.
Several properties - including the Colebrook Inn - were flooded, but plans put in place by the community last year came into action.
The BBC's Lynne French, whose home was flooded in 2012, said: "Flood barriers fitted appear to have worked where they've been put in place and chain gangs of residents carried out bailing, helping each other out."
Water levels later subsided, she added.
Flooded roads have been reported across Devon and Cornwall
Residents had to clear out overflowing drains in Ugborough
BBC weather forecaster Carol Kirkwood tweeted at 08:39 GMT: "Recent gust of 61mph at Camborne, Cornwall, accompanied by driving rain. The wind will continue to strengthen to storm force later today."
On a snowy Dartmoor, BBC Radio Devon's Michael Chequer, reporting from between Moretonhampstead and Postbridge, said: "The driving conditions are dreadful and the cold is extraordinary."
In Cornwall, the county's fire service tweeted that three properties were flooded in the hamlet of Lower Treluswell, near Penryn, and it was pumping them out
In other developments:
Surface water flooding and fallen trees were reported on roads across Devon and Cornwall by BBC South West Travel on Friday morning
The Highways Agency urged road users to take care when out, to plan their journeys and delay their travel if the weather becomes severe
Flooding was reported on roads and in gardens in Ashburton, Devon, after river levels rose
Trains services between Exeter St Davids and London Waterloo were disrupted by the weather
National Rail Enquiries said flooding at Axminster closed lines between Crewkerne and Exeter St Davids
Bus firm Stagecoach said it was accepting rail tickets for bus journeys between Exeter and Newton Abbot until the south-west rail line re-opens
Hazardous driving conditions were reported due to snow on the A39 in both directions near Bideford in Devon and also around Princetown on Dartmoor
Torquay seafront has been closed, Torbay Council tweeted
Penzance's Western Promenade has been closed due to the weather. Police have advised pedestrians to avoid the area
Friday's 22:00 Brittany Ferries sailing from Plymouth to Roscoff has been cancelled
The Tamar Bridge, which connects Devon and Cornwall, has had one of its three lanes shut and is closed to high-sided vehicles, bikes and caravans
The Cremyll Ferry from Plymouth to Mount Edgcumbe, the St Mawes passenger ferry and the Teignmouth to Saldon ferry are not running
All Isles of Scilly Skybus flights to and from Newquay Airport are cancelled
Cornwall's multi-agency Silver Control centre reopens to coordinate a countywide response to weather incidents
Free sandbags will be issued to households in Cornwall at risk of flooding from today
Strong winds have also been reported on the Isles of Scilly.
Are you in the affected areas? Have you been affected by the flooding? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Or you can send us your comment using the form below. When sending us pictures, video or eyewitness accounts at no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.
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Lizzy Yarnold wins Sochi 2014 gold for Great Britain
Lizzy Yarnold won Great Britain's first gold medal of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics after dominating the women's skeleton from start to finish.
Yarnold, 25, produced a solid final run to finish 0.97 seconds ahead of Noelle Pikus-Pace of United States.
Britain claimed the skeleton title for the second successive Winter Olympics after Amy Williams won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
It is Britain's second medal in Sochi and 10th gold in Winter Games history.
Britain's reigning world champion Shelley Rudman, who won silver at the 2006 Olympics, finished 16th.
Yarnold led after every round of the competition and held a 0.44 second advantage after the first two runs on Thursday.
She extended that to 0.78 secs after setting a new track record in Friday's third run before finishing in a total of three minutes, 52.89 seconds, ahead of Pikus-Pace and bronze medallist Elena Nikitina of Russia.
Welcome to The Loop, the Magazine's letters column, including the best of your thoughts from Twitter and Facebook.
The story that garnered the biggest response from our readers this week was the Who, What, Why: How easy is it to do the Heimlich manoeuvre? We asked Winston Marshall from St John Ambulance to demonstrate it after Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood was credited with saving the life of another man who was choking on a piece of cheese.
"Well done Clint, after 38 years in ER work you are the only person I have known to have been successful with this manoeuvre. Can I come and dine next to you from now on please," asked Anthony Humes from Karaoglanoglu - which is in Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus. Go ahead Clint, make his day.
But Robin Dahling in Beijing said that as a medic for over 10 years, he was "shocked" to see the suggestion to slap someone on the back. He explained that this may dislodge a partial obstruction and make it a "complete obstruction, which is worse". "It is one of the first things we're told NOT to do when learning this procedure, but it may be the difference between Canadian and British first aid practices," he wrote.
Now don't try this at home. "Whilst on holiday in the south of France I thought it would be a good idea to try and swallow a peach stone having seen a performer ingest snooker balls on Britain's Got Talent," writes Alistair from Bury St Edmunds. "Needless to say it became stuck in my throat and was a really scary experience. There was nobody in the house able to drive, and it was only because my friend knew how to do the Heimlich manoeuvre that we managed to dislodge the peach stone."
Brenda Millington from Chertsey reckons everyone should be taught the manoeuvre - although it might help if it were given an easier name. "My life was saved by a friend at a party. As I was choking, I was aware of everyone running about shouting different advice." She says she managed to gasp the name of her friend because she would know what to do. "She immediately performed this on me and dislodged the food. My advice - do not eat, drink and talk at the same time." Noted.
Also this week, we asked 10 leading historians to give us their views on who started World War One. Sir Richard J Evans, regius professor of history, University of Cambridge, said Serbia, while Dr Heather Jones - associate professor in international history, LSE, named a number of powers - Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia. Gerhard Hirschfeld - professor of modern and contemporary history, University of Stuttgart put the blame on Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, France, Britain and Serbia.
"Who cares," said Jamie-Mark Foster. "Let's remember our dead, and move on."
Beavers. Some love them, some hate them. On Monday, we asked whether reintroducing beavers would prevent flooding.
Rob Morton was enthusiastic about the idea: "They keep water upstream longer which raises the water table helping there and delaying floods downstream," he wrote. "Exactly the opposite of the national river authority's policy of dredging and straightening rivers and building on the flood plains, causing flooding downstream and the misery we see today."
But S Rowe from London saw this as a bad, bad idea. "Anyone seriously thinking about introducing beavers back into the UK without strict controls over their spread should look at what has happened in Tierra del Fuego in the past 60 years. Increasing devastation and a problem that has become too big to eradicate."
Re Tierra del Fuego and beavers - a quick search on the BBC News website brought up this piece with a headline evoking a calamity of Biblical proportions: "Argentina's great beaver plague".
From beavers to seagulls - and sardines. Last weekend controversial US actor Shia LaBeouf stormed out of a news conference after quoting footballer Eric Cantona's comment about seagulls and fish. Magazine asked: "Why is this baffling line about sardines so well remembered?"
Two clearly irked readers replied: "Why do you insist on referring to Eric Cantona's comment as mysterious? It is obvious what he was saying and is mysterious only if uneducated. To suggest otherwise is a ploy to make him seem unhinged rather than creative," spluttered Kevin Moloney from Maidstone.
John Bains from Warrington added: "Could never understand what the mystery was about the trawler sentence. He was simply telling the journalists that they were there, waiting for him to give a "bon mot".
Newry explosion: Three pipe bombs found after house targeted
The police and Army carried out a search of land close to Parkhead Crescent
Three pipe bombs and ammunition have been discovered during a security operation in Newry, County Down.
It follows searches in Parkhead Crescent in the city after another device exploded outside a house in Patrician Park, off the Dublin Road.
A family of five escaped injury in that attack at about 21:20 GMT on Wednesday.
The family members, including a couple and their three grown-up children, were at home at the time but were not hurt.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) representative said the Parkhead search was being conducted as part of an investigation into serious crime.
Chief Inspector Davy Beck said: "I am happy that these potential pipe bomb type devices and ammunition have been taken off the streets of Northern Ireland.
"The public can rest assured that we will continue to serve the community of Newry."
The attack in Patrician Park caused damage to the family-of-five's house and a car parked outside the property.
The SDLP Newry and Armagh MLA, Dominic Bradley, said two pipe bombs were thrown at the property and he described it as a "senseless" attack.
'Enemies'
Army bomb disposal officers and police were called to the estate and they cordoned off Patrician Park for about three hours while the scene was examined.
A PSNI spokesman said a motive for the pipe bomb attack had not yet been established and appealed for anyone with information about it to contact officers.
In a statement, Mr Bradley said: "This house is in a quiet residential area and this was a senseless attack for which there is absolutely no justification.
"It could easily have caused injury or death.
Police were called to Patrician Park following reports of an explosion at a house on Wednesday night
"Those behind this attack are enemies of our community and anyone with any information should contact the police immediately."
“ I've no doubts the youngster will end up a top centre-forward.”
Malky MackayFormer Cardiff manager
But the League Managers' Association (LMA) says Mackay had to report to Lim regarding every transfer.
The Premier League club signed Cornelius for a then club-record £7.5m in July 2013 on a five-year deal, but his start in Wales was hampered by an ankle injury.
The 20-year-old made 11 appearances for Cardiff, failing to score, before rejoining former club FC Copenhagen in January.
He scored a hat-trick in his first game back for the Danish club in a friendly against Slovan Liberec.
"In the case of Andreas Cornelius, who cost the club in total just under £10m, we realise a large loss in excess of £8.5m, inclusive of transfer fees, salaries, business and compensation paid to player's agents and other miscellaneous expenses," Lim said in a statement.
LMA chief executive Richard Bevan said it was "inappropriate and unprofessional" for both sides to make a statement given the "legal process" under way between the club and Mackay.
But he added the LMA issued a response as it is "only right" that the "record is put straight".
"Malky was obliged to report [to Lim] in respect of all matters pertaining to the transfer of players," said Bevan.
"This is the same Mr Lim who, when being asked more than once, upon dismissing Malky Mackay, why he was dismissing him, said that he did not know the reason. "
Bevan said all clubs, especially at an elite level, have systems in place for "corporate governance".
"Cardiff City is no exception," said Bevan. "A manager, even in the Premier League, does not go out and 'sign' players."
The BBC have asked Mackay and former Cardiff head of recruitment Iain Moody for a response.
Moody, now sporting director at Crystal Palace, has declined to comment.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Sport last week, Mackay said he had "no doubts" Cornelius would become a "top centre-forward".
"When we signed him he was a 20-year-old huge prospect, 6ft 4in, a centre-forward who had broken into the international team," said Mackay.
"To be Danish player of the year at that age is quite something. We outbid another European team to get him.
"What I said at the time still stands. £7.5m was our record transfer but a hit-the-ground-running centre-forward in the Premier League costs two or three times that and every team in the Premier League are striving for someone like that."
Army office letter bombs: Northern Ireland link probed
A bomb disposal unit was called to Queens Road in Brighton earlier
Four suspect packages delivered to army careers offices bear "the hallmarks of Northern Ireland-related terrorism", Downing Street has said.
Packages were sent to armed forces recruitment centres in Oxford, Slough, Kent and Brighton.
The latest deliveries follow letter bombs sent to offices in Hampshire, Kent and Berkshire earlier this week.
Prime Minister David Cameron chaired a meeting of the Cobra emergencies committee to discuss the threat.
'Screening'
A spokesman for Number 10 said: "Seven suspect packages have been identified as containing small, crude, but potentially viable devices bearing the hallmarks of Northern Ireland-related terrorism.
"These have now been safely dealt with by the police and bomb disposal units.
"Guidance has been issued to staff at all military establishments and Royal Mail asking them to be extra vigilant and to look out for any suspect packages and the screening procedures for mail to Armed Forces Careers offices is being reviewed."
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was aware of "security incidents" and army staff were warned to be "extra vigilant".
Packages were found at offices in St Giles, Oxford; the Queensmere Shopping Centre in Slough; St Peter's Street in Canterbury and Queens Road, Brighton.
Det Supt Stan Gilmore, of the South East counter-terrorism unit, said the packages found on Thursday would be sent for examination.
"Even if the contents are determined to be a viable device they pose a very low-level threat and are unlikely to cause significant harm or damage," he said.
Democratic Unionist Party MP Nigel Dodds condemned those behind the packages.
"Those who cling to terrorism should realise that it failed in the past and it will do so again. It will only lead to further hurt and suffering," he said.
"Northern Ireland has turned a corner. We are moving forward and no-one wants to go back to the bad old days."
'Low-level threat'
Ivan Lewis, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said: "These devices bear the hallmarks of another attempt by dissidents to reverse the progress we have seen in Northern Ireland over the past 15 years.
"Their attempt to harm innocent people will be condemned by the people of Northern Ireland, including by those they claim to represent."
Stormont Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness condemned those who continued to engage in violence.
Commenting on Twitter about the letter bombs and a pipe bomb which exploded in Newry without causing injury, he said they were "an attack on the peace process".
"Those responsible belong to the past. Their futile acts must be condemned," he said.
A new band of heavy rain is expected to hit the UK on Friday, as engineers work to reconnect power supplies cut off by Wednesday's storm.
Forecasters expect the rain to reach the South West at about 06:00 GMT before moving north across the country.
But BBC Weather's Darren Bett offered some hope to flood-hit areas, saying this severe weather was "hopefully the last in a long line" to hit the UK.
Very high winds are forecast for Friday evening and Saturday morning.
Our forecaster said there would be rain for most of the UK on Saturday, with up to 40mm (1.5in) in some parts of south-west England, where many areas are already flooded.
This would fall as snow on hills in places including Wales, the Pennines, Northern Ireland and Scotland, he added.
High winds - with gusts of 60-70mph inland and up to 80mph on England's south coast - are expected from Friday evening until Saturday morning.
Our forecaster said some showers and high winds were expected on Saturday, but Sunday should be "mostly dry" and next week's weather - while still "unsettled" - was not expected to be as wet or windy as in recent days.
Another storm is moving in from the Atlantic and due to arrive on Friday, say BBC forecasters
The owner of this house in Moorland, Somerset, has built his own flood defences
Members of the armed forces are helping in flood-hit communities including Chertsey
The River Severn has reached record levels in Worcester, and more rain is forecast for the coming days
The Ministry of Defence said more than 2,000 military personnel were helping flood relief efforts, with 1,000 more "at a state of high readiness to assist if requested"
The Royal Air Force launched a Tornado jet from RAF Marham, Norfolk, to take high-resolution pictures of flood-hit parts of the Thames Valley
The government will conduct a series of reviews into the UK's readiness to cope with future flood and storm emergencies, the BBC News Channel's chief political correspondent Norman Smith said
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg rejected calls for cash to be diverted from the UK's £11bn foreign aid budget to help those affected
"It is other airborne objects and debris - like uprooted trees - that cannot hold on in those sorts of 100mph winds. It is these things that are causing power lines to come down," he said.
Engineers were still working to restore power to customers who were still without it, he added.
Two pumps brought in from the Netherlands have started work on the Somerset Levels
Flood waters in Worcester have exceeded the level seen in 1795, which is marked by a plaque
Some people tried cycling through floodwater in Staines-upon-Thames
Some parts of the Somerset Levels have been flooded for several weeks, while areas near the Thames in Berkshire and Surrey have seen major flooding in recent days.
The latest severe warning was for the River Severn at Alney Island, Gloucester.
The Environment Agency has also issued more than 300 less serious flood warnings and alerts, mostly in southern England and the Midlands.
Train services in parts of the UK are cancelled and some roads are closed.
It comes after parts of the transport network struggled to cope during Wednesday's severe weather.
Some Southeastern and Southern trains are affected by landslips from previous storms
Disruption caused by the storm-stricken Dawlish line along the Devon coast continues but Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said trains were expected to start running again around 18 March
Some roads are closed because of flooding. See BBC Travel News for a full picture
Are you in the affected areas? Have you been affected by the flooding? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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Carmarthenshire council has hit back at the Wales Audit Office and has defended its actions 
Mark James received cash payments in lieu of pension contributions 
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