On Thursday, parts of Spain were braced for even more flooding after orange alerts were issued for southern Granada and Valencia's coastal area, where between 40 and 120mm of rain were projected to fall. Winds of up to 74mph and high seas are predicted for Tarragona, Barcelona and Murcia.

Scientists long warned Spanish and EU authorities of the need to protect Valencia from floods, but masses of people received no warning until walls of water broke over their homes and workplaces.