A man speaks on the phone while standing in knee-deep flood water 3 January 2014 Last updated at 04:02 Severe flooding is expected in parts of the UK as high tides combine with heavy rain and strong winds later. The Environment Agency has issued 21 severe flood warnings – which mean “danger to life” – affecting south-west England, Gloucestershire and Wales. The Met Office has warned of flooding in Scotland and Northern Ireland. On Thursday, Environment Minister Owen Paterson said “exceptional weather” would hit the UK on Friday and over the weekend. Many of the severe flood warnings relate to the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, with the highest risk of flooding expected for two to four hours either side of Friday morning’s high tides. High water is expected at 05:42 GMT at Penzance, 06:54 at Plymouth, 07:05 at Barnstaple and 07:57 at Weymouth in Dorset. Waves more than […]