Floods, disruption as heavy rain pounds soggy UK

Print

Disruption as heavy rain pounds UK

3News NZ

Spectators try to keep dry on Centre Court during the men's singles tennis match between David Ferrer of Spain and Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London (Reuters)

Spectators try to keep dry on Centre Court during the men's singles tennis match between David Ferrer of Spain and Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London (Reuters)

Rain gradually eased across parts of Britain on Saturday after weeks' worth fell within hours, flooding homes, washing out roads and disrupting train travel.

In northeast England, a man in his 20s died when his car ran off the road in heavy rain overnight.

The Environment Agency issued more than 200 flood warnings and alerts. Southwest England, where up to 3 inches (7.6cm) of rain fell overnight, was worst affected, with two severe alerts - meaning lives could be in danger - in place for stretches of the River Axe and River Bride.

Hundreds of residents in the county of Devon were put on alert for possible evacuation as the River Yealm burst its banks.

Organisers of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, 50 miles (80km) northwest of London, told thousands of fans planning to park at the venue to stay away from Saturday's qualifying sessions after rain made some of the parking lots unusable.

Britain is even more prone to flooding than usual following the wettest June on record. Forecasters say wet weather is expected to continue for several days.

AP

Post a Comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide


(Won't be published)



Comments