Maritime Accident: 200m long cargo ship has hit a barge full of rocks in the English Channel

Eleven of the 23 crew members are so far known to have been evacuated by helicopter after the ship got into difficulty off Samphire Hoe near Dover. The RNLI said a tug from Boulogne was on its way to remove the ship, and lifeboats are standing by. Storm Angus has lashed the south of England with high winds and rain.

'Major incident' A RNLI spokesman said of the cargo ship: "At this point there is no indication of any environmental leak concerning the cargo ship's fuel."The tug was expected to be on site to secure the Saga Sky by late morning, and while the barge is taking on water, it is currently not thought that it will sink, the spokesman added.

Coastguard duty commander Steve Carson said: "The weather conditions this morning are particularly challenging and we have declared this a major incident."He said two helicopters were evacuating the crew. Storm Angus - the first named storm of the winter - has brought gusts of up to 106mph, recorded 23 miles off the coast of Margate, while gusts hit 80mph at Langdon Bay in Kent.

More than 15 flood warnings and a Met Office amber warning of high winds for the Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex are in place.  The Met Office said gusts of 70-80mph were possible in those areas and residents were warned to be prepared for disruption to travel services and power supplies, and some damage to buildings. More than 1,000 properties in the south west of England - the majority in Devon - are without power, said Western Power Distribution. A Met Office yellow "be aware" warning for winds of up to 65mph and heavy rain has also been issued for an area stretching from the South West along the coast to south-east and east England, including London, and is valid until 14:00 GMT.