Meteorologist Neil Harris on Sunday's forecast

One man was swept out to sea off the coast at Brighton in East Sussex after apparently going for a swim.

The 27-year-old man was confirmed dead on Saturday night after being swept out to sea near the Palace Pier.

Electric lines are down across the UK

The other man is thought to have fallen into a swollen river near his home in Devon.

Paul Witt, 44, from Ashburton, was last seen standing on the river bank in heavy rain.

Gales gusting up to 100mph battered the British Isles on Boxing Day with Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic the worst affected.

BBC Correspondent Linda Duffin: A trail of destruction left across the country

A number of roads were closed by falling trees and more than 50 flood warnings are still in place in the West Country.

But Linda Alcock of the Environment Agency in Exeter, said water levels are falling.

Linda Alcock: The situation seems to be improving slowly

There were also flood alerts on a number of rivers in Wales where flooding hit homes.

A man died in the Republic when a falling tree crushed his car.

The clear-up operation in Wales has already begun

The 23-year-old man died in Maam Cross, County Galway. He was with his girlfriend who escaped uninjured.

In the Solent a 4,300 tonne Portuguese ship sent out a Mayday signal to coastguards after getting into trouble near the Isle of Wight.

The Zaphia is being held by her anchors near dangerous rocks.

The AA's Michael Johnson: "Scotland and Northern Ireland took a real pummelling"

Power lines have been damaged or have come down in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and north-west England and repair work is being hampered by poor driving conditions.

In Scotland, some 60,000 people were still without electricity supplies on Sunday morning after falling trees brought down cables.

Casualty: A car is crushed at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary

The Forth and Tay road bridges have reopened, but many roads remain closed due to flooding, snow or fallen trees. Train services are also severely disrupted.

Forth coastguards went to the aid of a bulk carrier after it broke down in the Firth of Forth and was in danger of drifting toward the shore.

And at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, a brick turret was toppled by the wind, crushing two cars underneath.