A man has died after he jumped into a fast-flowing river in a bid to rescue his dog.
The dog escaped without injury after being rescued from the water by members of the public.
The man is the sixth victim of the extreme weather which has swept Britain over
the past two days, after two others drowned and three people died in crashes.
Accident: A man has died after trying to rescue
his dog from a river in Newton Abbot, Devon while his family were
shopping in a nearby branch of Asda
The man had apparently been visiting Asda with his family and their three pet dogs when one of the animals went in to the River Lemon near the store.
Witnesses called 999 after seeing him in difficulty in the river.
He was found by police some distance downstream of the site where he entered the water, and flown to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
The man was fighting for life for several hours, but lost his battle this afternoon.
No other family members were hurt in the incident, while all three dogs were unharmed.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'The man has been pronounced dead at hospital. His next-of-kin are aware.'
Tragedy: The south-west of England has been one of the worst-affected parts of Britain during this week's storms and flooding
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said the man had suffered 'serious' injuries in the incident.
The south-west of England has been particularly badly affected by the storms and flooding which started yesterday and continued into this morning.
Many rivers are believed to have swollen by the heavy rainfall, leading police to urge members of the public to stay away from fast-flowing bodies of water.
In the wake of the storms, a man died in Cumbria yesterday when he fell into the River Rothay at Ambleside while a woman was pulled out of the water dead at Nant Ffrancon, Bethesda, Wales.
In addition, three people died in separate crashes linked to the dangerous conditions on the roads.
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