A 42-year-old man has died after falling from a mountain path into a gorge during Storm Dennis on Sunday.

The man was on the route for Stob Ban near Fort William, Scotland, and fell about 98ft (30m). His body was recovered by a group of mountain rescue volunteers who worked for six hours in ‘challenging’ conditions, including 50mph gusts of wind. He is the fourth person to have died in the storm, which caused flooding in large parts of the UK and forced thousands to evacuate their homes.

Chief Superintendent Tom Harding of West Mercia Police said: ‘Last night for safety reasons and with a heavy heart, the rescue operation was called off. ‘It was not a decision that any of the emergency services took lightly, but Fire and Rescue colleagues who were co-ordinating the operation took the decision as conditions became extremely challenging due to darkness and fast flowing flood water.

‘The search has continued this morning, including the use of the police helicopter. ‘Sadly, however, due to the circumstances of the length of time in the water and other conditions we believe that this will now be a recovery rather than rescue operation.’

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A helicopter also spent the night looking for a missing women in Brighton, but she still hasn’t been found. Chief Superintendent Nev Kemp, from Sussex Police, said: ‘Police and the coastguard searched for several hours in very difficult and dangerous weather but have been unable to locate the woman. ‘We will continue to be vigilant for any sightings along the beach.

The sea was very rough indeed overnight and we always urge people to be very careful and stay away from the water’s edge anywhere along the coast when the weather is so bad.’

The Met Office has extended weather warnings for three days with snow, ice and heavy rain set to batter the country in the aftermath of Storm Dennis. Rain will be persistent in parts of Britain with a risk of homes flooding, and people have been warned of further transport chaos with delays and cancellations.

The downpours will hit areas of Wales the hardest on Wednesday and Thursday, while in Scotland two inches of snow could fall over the next two days. Extreme weather conditions over the weekend saw winds of more than 90mph batter parts of the UK, while more than a month’s worth of rain fell in 48 hours in some places.

A record number of flood warnings and alerts were issued by the Environment Agency, but the danger is not over yet with fears rivers  could burst their banks when more rain arrives. The water level in Hereford has reached the highest on record as the area has been inundated with ‘devastating’ floods.

The River Thames is also expected to flood, with property flooding likely in areas along the river from Buscot Wick to Shifford.