An Emirates flight from Dubai to Newcastle was forced to divert to Edinburgh today after it was unable to land due to strong winds. The Boeing 777 circled above Newcastle airport for a while before declaring a general emergency and heading to Edinburgh, where it landed shortly after midday, the flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows.

Firefighters have been assisting vehicles stranded in flood water this morning as Storm Chandra causes disruption across the west

The relentless downpours from Storm Chandra have triggered an amber alert for rain and an unprecedented nearly 100 flood warnings across the region, with Devon bearing the brunt of the impact. More than 40 schools across the county are either closed or partially closed because of the weather.

Engineers will carry out emergency works near Axminster over the weekend of Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 of January to stabilise the railway following a landslip.

"The Environment Agency has issued a Severe Flood Warning on the River Otter, meaning possible danger to life. Flooding is expected this morning, with heavy rain continuing to fall throughout the day. We are predicting that some flood defences will be overtopped.

Dramatic scenes in Devon.