Daughter's tribute to missing Storm Imogen RSPCA 'hero'

A frantic search for an RSPCA inspector who went missing while trying to rescue sea birds from a cliff will enter a third day after his daughter admitted she believed he "will not be coming home".

Mike Reid, 54, vanished after he went to the aid of around 30 gannets stranded on rocks near Penzance, Cornwall, shortly before Storm Imogen's hurricane force winds battered Britain.

Thousands were left without power and several people were injured by debris sent flying during the latest storm's 100mph gusts.

The storm has passed but forecaster's have warned plunging temperatures could bring widespread frost and some snow as cold air sweeps in.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said the search for Mr Reid had been halted overnight but would resume on Wednesday morning.

His colleagues joined the hunt yesterday and the RSPCA said it was "extremely concerned", after the alarm was raised on Monday when he failed to return home from duty.

His daughter Jenna paid tribute to her father, describing him as her "hero" and the "best person I've ever known".

In a Facebook post, Ms Reid wrote: "Unfortunately and it pains and breaks my heart to say that my amazing dad will not be coming home.

"This world is a cruel place to take such a wonderful man from it, a true loss. He was one in a million."

She added: "This has been the worst and hardest time in mine and my family's life. We will be empty without him, he completed us."

Coastal communities in Wales and south-west and southern England bore the brunt of the weather that tore in from the Atlantic.

Western Power Distribution said its engineers worked to restore power to 93,000 properties in 24 hours from Monday morning.

Showers are expected in parts of Scotland and south-west England, while some 44 Environment Agency flood warnings and 137 alerts remain in force across England and Wales.

Temperatures could widely fall to below freezing, prompting forecasters to warn about ice and frost.

Gareth Harvey, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: "It's going to be fairly chilly and there will a be a few wintry showers early on Wednesday across pretty much all areas.

"There will be some frost and some icy patches later on Wednesday morning and the showers will remain in south western parts of Britain as it get later into the day. Otherwise, elsewhere it will be essentially dry with some sunny spells around.

"There will be a widespread frost on Wednesday night, with temperatures between 0C and -3C, which could happen anywhere.

"In the northern part of Scotland, people will wake up to a covering of snow on Thursday morning with accumulations of up to several centimetres. A band of rain and snow will slowly move its way southwards but it will peter out as it reaches central parts."