Tornadoes, hailstones, lightning, snow and yet more floods for parts of UK Met Office issues amber weather warning and Environment Agency has 163 flood alerts or warnings out Dramatic video shows how Londoners were nearly lifted in the air by 55mph winds battering the capital Environment Agency officials branded 'complete bunch of prats' by MPs over Somerset flooding woes By Mark Duell and Jaya Narain and Matt Chorley Ice, snow and rain will plague Britain today as the country prepares for a big freeze and flood-hit communities continue to tackle further problems. The Met Office said Hampshire, Dorset and Somerset remain at medium risk of flooding as another day of rain hits the regions. Meanwhile, snow will fall on high ground - particularly across Wales, Scotland and northern England - with some hail storms and thunder predicted. Temperatures will fall to around freezing resulting in a risk of icy stretches on roads and the potential for travel disruption, the Met Office added. Yesterday bookmakers William Hill cut the odds of 2014 being the wettest year on record from 8/1 to 6/1. The Big Freeze: A snow-covered scene near Allendale in Northumberland today, as the country prepares for a big freeze White blanket: A snow covered scene at Killhope Slate Mine, near Cowshill, in County Durham Welcome to where? Snow masks the sign marking the Northumberland border Picture postcard: Another snow covered scene at Killhope Slate Mine, near Cowshill, in County Durham Difficult conditions: Motorists drive through early morning snow and fog as they pass the Lion Inn pub high up on Blakey Ridge on the North York Moors The Environment Agency was facing a furious backlash as South West communities already hit by flooding were warned more could be on the way. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson may also face a frosty reception during a visit to the region to hold crisis talks with farmers and local authorities. Bridgwater and West Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger hit out at the agency, blaming it for exacerbating problems on the Somerset Levels. He dismissed as "pathetic" the Environment Agency's claims that the rain would have overwhelmed the river system even if it had dredged the waterways. Making it through: A motorist drives through early morning snow and fog across the North York Moors following another night of snow Poor visibility: A motorist drives past Ralph's Cross on Danby High Moor following another night of snow on the North York Moors 'Dredge the River': Northmoor pumping station where Environment Secretary Owen Paterson is to visit, in Moorland, Somerset Protest: Gemma Richards places signs calling for the resignation of Mr Paterson on the route into Northmoor pumping station, in Moorland Into the river: Another general view of Northmoor pumping station where Mr Paterson is to visit, in Moorland, Somerset What a view: As the cold conditions spread south, a walker views early morning snow on the northern face of Chrome Hill, near Longnor in the Derbyshire Peak District Water everywhere: A mirror image of Truro Cathedral is reflected in waters of a flooded car park after Cornwall was deluged with torrential rain Freak storms and even a small tornado caused chaos over the weekend, leaving several people in hospital. A low pressure zone came in from the Atlantic and is not expected to clear Britain's skies until the middle of this week. John Griffiths, of forecasters Meteogroup, said: "There are going to be some wintry showers as this low pressure drifts over the country and that should be replaced by colder, brighter weather mid-week. However we are looking at the possibility of another storm coming in towards the end of next week. In Surrey, a mini tornado lifted four cats into the air. Shirley Blay, who saw the incident at stables in Chobham, said: "We've got four feral cats in the yard and they were being lifted off the ground - they just went round like paper bags." Damage: An 8ft piece of timber roofing fell from the roof of a Sikh Temple in Leicester and crashed through the windscreen of the parked car, after a lightning storm Giant piece of timber: The roofing had fallen from the nearby Ramgarhia Sikh Temple in Leicester, where 50 people were inside - but nobody was seriously hurt Whiteout: There were blizzards in North Yorkshire, where people tried to walk their dogs outside the exposed Tan Hill Inn near Reeth in the Yorkshire Dales Hard to see: The storm system brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow across Britain, including blizzards in North Yorkshire In North Wales, two climbers were burned on their feet after lightning struck the ground. The men, aged 58 and 37, from Buckinghamshire, lost feeling in their legs as the electrical storm hit near the top of the 3,000ft Aran Fawddwy peak in Snowdonia. They were flown to hospital by RAF helicopter and were said to be recovering last night. A photographer caught the moment a bolt of lightning struck just feet away from a plane on a runway. Paul Bunch, 43, who works at Wolverhampton's Halfpenny Green airport, said: "It really looks like the plane has been hit by the bolt, it is incredible." In Cumbria storms caused the aptly named Wet Sleddale Reservoir to overflow down the 68ft dam wall. A dramatic video has revealed how Londoners were nearly lifted in the air by 55mph winds battering the capital. The 15-second clip was filmed by Virginia Elizabeth on London Bridge Walk, a pathway near the famous crossing and train station. Pedestrians were seen fleeing for cover in what Miss Elizabeth, from Vancouver, Canada, described as the "storm of the century" on Saturday evening. Dramatic: The 15-second clip was filmed by Virginia Elizabeth on London Bridge Walk, a pathway near the famous crossing and train station Miss Elizabeth said she was 'casually strolling home along London Bridge and bumped into the storm of the century', having to "grab on to a beam'. The Met Office told the London Evening Standard that it did not quite qualify as a tornado - with the winds being just under the required strength. The Environment Agency has 75 flood alerts and two flood warnings currently in place for the South East - with four alerts inside the M25 area. Danger: Pedestrians were seen fleeing for cover in what Miss Elizabeth, from Vancouver, Canada, described as the 'storm of the century' on Saturday evening Watch out: Miss Elizabeth said she had been 'casually strolling home along London Bridge and bumped into the storm of the century', having to 'grab on to a beam' Eye of the storm: A weather map showing Britain under a veil of white at 9am yesterday as the country suffered strong winds, heavy rainfall and snow blizzards Isolation: Members of the Avon and Somerset Police Underwater Search Unit inspect a submerged abandoned car as they head to the village of Muchelney in Somerset This morning the Environment Agency said 149 flood alerts and 14 more serious flood warnings were in place. Somerset council declared a "major incident" for flooded areas. The authority has provided a boat service for the communities of Muchelney and Thorney, whose access roads have been cut off since January 2. This is the moment a bolt of lightning appeared to strike just feet away from an aeroplane as it was on a runway at an airport. The image was captured on Saturday by photographer Paul Bunch, who works part time at the Wolverhampton's Halfpenny Green airport control tower. The 43-year-old said: "I couldn't believe when I got the picture, it really looks like the plane has been hit by the bolt, it is incredible. Spectacular: This is the moment a bolt of lightning apparently struck just feet away from a plane as it was on a runway at Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport I saw a few flashes at first and then decided to get my camera out. The pilot was visiting from another airfield. He was turning his plane around on the runway when the winds changed direction. This is the closest lightning bolt I have seen to a plane before. It really did look like it was going to be trouble for the pilot, but luckily it wasn't. For me, it was just a matter of being at the right place at the right time. Splashing down: Stormy weather and heavy rain has seen rivers the flooding of homes and farmland, and now reservoirs overflowing with the volume of water Splashing down: After the recent rainfall, water pours over the High Force waterfall in Middleton-in-Teesdale in the North Pennines Carnage: A mini-tornado ripped through homes in the Galley Common area of Nuneaton, damaging houses and blowing off roof tiles Damage: The strong wind that tore through Galley Common destroyed this garage - tearing off its roof Chaos: Neighbours took shelter in a nearby community centre while others surveyed the damage Avon and Somerset Police launched their underwater search team yesterday in a bid to use their boat to reach flood-hit homes in Mulcheney on Somerset Levels. The team also gave fire prevention and health and safety advice to residents who have been affected by the floods. Much of the area remains under water and more rain is expected to fall overnight and residents are being told to prepare for further flooding. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson is expected to visit the Somerset region today to hold crisis talks with farmers and the local council, the Western Morning News reported. Yesterday, farmers held a demonstration against the Environment Agency accusing them of failing to dredge the rivers. Council leaders, the emergency services and government agencies who make up the Local Resilience forum on flooding met last night to discuss the flooding crisis. The group confirmed that people at risk of flooding were visited over the weekend by either the emergency services, local authorities or local utility companies. A Met Office forecaster said: "Given the current disruption on the Somerset Levels, the public should be prepared for further flooding." Cut off: A view of flood water surrounding the village of Muchelney in the Somerset levels, which has been isolated since early January Getting around: A humanitarian boat helps ferry locals from Langport to Muchelney in Somerset (left), while a resident uses the temporary pontoon near Langport (right) Forecast: Snow will fall on high ground - particularly across Wales, Scotland and northern England - with some hail storms and thunder predicted Map: This morning the Environment Agency said 149 flood alerts and 14 more serious flood warnings were in place Two walkers were recovering from burned feet last night after being hit by lightning near the summit of a mountain in Wales. On Saturday, strong winds caused damage to houses and forced residents to be evacuated from a street in a Warwickshire town. Environment Agency officials were today branded a "complete bunch of prats" by MPs for failing to remove mud-clogging rivers which have flooded large parts of Somerset. Above water: A local resident uses a temporary pontoon near Langport, Somerset Tory MP Ian Liddell-Grainger, whose Bridgwater constituency has been badly hit by flooding, claimed much of the damage could have been avoided if the Environment Agency spent £5million on dredging rivers to remove silt and mud from the river beds. Prime Minister David Cameron said the Environment Agency had done "excellent work" in dealing with the flooding but insisted the quango must now give "clear answers" about what it could have done to prevent it. Mr Liddell-Grainger told ITV's Daybreak: "We only need £5million - in the scheme of things that is not a lot of money. If you do this we can stop this. So we have to say to the British people, "if we spend that money now, we will save millions of pounds in years to come, because we can look after this." Until you stop the Environment Agency being a complete bunch of prats, this is not going to change. Mr Cameron told BBC Radio 4"s Today programme: "I think the Environment Agency has done excellent work in helping to deal with the flooding and helping with communities. I have in my own constituency worked with them very closely. I think a couple of years there was a sense that they were very dredging, very anti-action on particular rivers and streams. I think they have changed their attitude on that front. Obviously the Environment Agency has to listen to these concerns, which you get quite widespread concerns that river levels have risen, the base of rivers have risen over the years and I think they have got to address those and give clear answers. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson is to visit Somerset to meet MPs angry at the scale and duration of the floods. Dedicated worshipers were ferried into the floodwaters to a church cut off for more than three weeks by tractor yesterday. The villagers of Muchelney, which lies in between Taunton and Yeovil in Somerset, have been cut off since January 2 after the access roads flooded. More than 100 residents have been relying purely on boats to get in and out of the village, which is surrounded by more than 3ft of water. But yesterday parishioners from nearby village Thorney borrowed a tractor and trailer to join their neighbours at the Church of St Peter and St Paul. They faced the 0.6 mile-long stretch of deep murky water to show community spirit in the face of the gloomy weather and forecast rain. The Environment Agency has eight flood warnings in place for the region, which mean flooding is expected and immediate action is required. Householders were preparing to evacuate their homes as more heavy rainfall struck flooded communities on the Somerset Levels. Resident David Murray-Smith prepared more sandbags at his home in Moorland as the water invaded his garden. His family has come down to help with the probable evacuation. He said: "We are getting ready to evacuate. We are putting things on bricks inside. This week tides will start to rise again in the Bristol Channel, limiting the capacity of rivers to drain the area - and causing even more problems. Bridgwater MP Ian Liddell-Grainger said: "There is a very real risk of catastrophic flooding on a scale not seen for more than a century unless we act swiftly and decisively."