A singer in Australia when a cyclone hit said it sounded like "three of four jet airliners roaring over the roof". David Harrop from Warwickshire, who was in Brisbane, Queensland, for work when the storm landed on Saturday night, said it had been frightening to experience and caused "severe damage" and brought serious flooding.

One man died in floodwaters, the authorities said, and over 330,000 customers were without power in South East Queensland.

Hundreds of thousands of people are under a blackout in Queensland and flood warnings remain in place across New South Wales after ex-Cyclone Alfred left a trail of destruction along Australia’s east coast.