BRITAIN:A man died after becoming trapped trying to clear a flooded drain in Hull yesterday as torrential rain caused flash floods in many parts of England, according to police.
The man, believed to be in his 20s, went to help his grandfather but he slipped and became pinned back by a torrent of water.Police divers and emergency services spent several hours trying to rescue the man from the neck-deep water but were unable to free him.
Humberside is one of the areas worst affected by the heavy downpours and lashing northerly winds.
In Sheffield, also heavily affected by the torrents of rain and a burst river bank, RAF helicopters had to be scrambled to rescue people from rooftops, television pictures showed.
Severe weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office for areas across the north of England and the midlands as well as Wales. The Environment Agency issued severe flood warnings for 11 areas, mainly in the Humberside, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire districts. A further eight areas were on flood warning, and 121 on flood watch.
A young teenager was reported missing after being swept away in the River Sheaf, south Yorkshire, police said.
Homes in Devon, Humberside, south Yorkshire and Gloucestershire in particular were struggling to cope while motorists abandoned cars when many roads in Yorkshire became impassable. Administration staff at Humberside headquarters had to be evacuated after it became flooded.
Police last night were urging people not to travel. A spokesman for South Yorkshire police said: "Rain is forecast up to midnight at least but water levels will continue to rise for some time after the rain has stopped."
Wimbledon in southwest London had a delayed start on the opening day, while poor weather forced a helicopter bringing Shirley Bassey back from Glastonbury to make an emergency landing in a school's grounds in Camberley, Surrey.