England, Wales on flood alert

Much of England and Wales was on flood alert today, with further prolonged heavy rain and strong winds expected after torrential…

Much of England and Wales was on flood alert today, with further prolonged heavy rain and strong winds expected after torrential downpours overnight.

The Met Office issued a severe weather warning for London and the south east of England, saying as much as 35 millimetres (more than an inch) of rain was expected to fall on already saturated ground.

Three flood warnings and more than 90 flood watch alerts were issued by the Environment Agency, which said flooding of low lying land and roads could occur across much of England and Wales, with a risk of flooding to homes and businesses in the east of England.

"The Environment Agency is continuing to closely monitor river and sea levels and our teams have been out on the ground checking flood defences across the country," said Craig Woolhouse, of the Environment Agency.

The Scottish Environment Agency also issued two alerts, with a risk of flooding in coastal areas from high tides and strong winds.

A road bridge in Cleveland was closed for a safety checks after cracks appeared following heavy rain.

On Friday a woman died when her Land Rover was swept away by a rain-swollen a river in north Yorkshire and became submerged under a bridge.

Reuters