What a week of weather it has been with some days seemingly demonstrating all four seasons in the space of 24 hours.

Much of the country has experienced disruption on some scale, with yellow weather warnings for snow, ice and wind put in force for large parts of the UK as Storm Ciara wreaked havoc.

The storm, dubbed the “biggest storm of this century” by some forecasters, has caused flooding and damage to buildings, transport infrastructure and power lines across the country.

Passengers were stranded across the road, rail and air network as services were cancelled, diverted or delayed.

Even BBC One was plunged off air for several minutes at one point.

In Liverpool and Hampshire, two men lost their lives following incidents involving fallen trees – bringing home the severity of the conditions.

Closer to home, flooding and severe gales followed by snow appeared to leave no corner of the district untouched.

Once again, the stories of how rural communities have united to help each other in the face of adversity have shone through. The work of the emergency services to help those most in need is also commendable.

Although many of the area’s residents are no strangers to dealing with major flooding events, the uneasy hours spent monitoring the forecast and Environment Agency flood alerts will have been painful for many.

A new storm is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the UK this weekend. According to the Met Office, Storm Dennis could cause flooding and wind gusts of more than 60mph.

It is not predicted to be as severe as Storm Ciara, but is likely to cause disruption.

Our thoughts are with those who are still cleaning up and counting the cost of last weekend’s deluge, and we call on those in power to do all they can to ensure any future disruption from severe weather events is kept to a minimum.