THEY say the British love to talk about the weather - but perhaps that can be explained by the fact it is so seemingly unpredictable, with scorching summers one minute and flash floods the next.

In Storm Force: Britain's Wildest Weather, three of Britain's most beloved weathermen - Michael Fish, Ian McCaskill, (who lives near Beaconsfield), and Paul Hudson take a look at some of the greatest storms to have wreaked havoc upon the British Isles since the 1700s.

This fascinating read includes tales of shipwrecks, toppling trees, flying caravans, hailstones the size of cricket balls and lightning strikes.

The book publication coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Great Storm of 1987, which devastated Britain and caused 23 deaths.

Michael Fish became forever associated with the storm after his infamous "there will be no hurricane" forecast, but the book sets about revealing another side to this story.

Among other events covered by Storm Force is the "Great Storm" of 1703, which was then and remains the worst weather event in British history, claiming 8,000 lives.

The authors also look at the Lynmouth disaster of 1952, which claimed 34 lives and sparked rumours that flash flooding had been caused by Ministry of Defence experiments in rain making'.

In the final chapter, the authors give their own expert opinions on how climate change could affect Britain's weather in the future.

Storm Force: Britain's Wildest Weather by Michael Fish, Ian McCaskill and Paul Hudson. Published by Great Northern Books, £15.99. Available now.