Mission to Seafarers is assisting a Thai seafarer and Filipino seafarer who were airlifted off vessels near Falmouth in Cornwall as a result of the storms.

Penny Phillips, Falmouth MtS chairman said: "A Thai seafarer was airlifted off a bulk carrier passing Falmouth on Saturday with a broken leg and chest injuries and a Filipino seafarer was taken off a vessel by the RNLI Inshore lifeboat in Falmouth on Sunday having fractured his leg."

The extreme weather conditions and large swells have left shipping crew members stranded at UK ports.

In North Tees, crew members have been sheltering from the storms at the Mission centre where they have been able to use the internet to contact home.

They will continue to sit out the storm at the centre until it is safe for their ships to continue their journeys. 

Other seafarers have been left stranded out at sea because the storms have prevented their ships from docking at port.

The Mission to Seafarers is working alongside the Apostleship of the Sea to care for the two injured seafarers.

Graham Hall, MtS volunteer, and John Pinhay, AoS chaplain, have visited both seafarers who are now recovering in hospital in Truro.