Firefighters rescue stranded motorists from a flooded road outside Castleford, West Yorkshire.
SWATHES of Britain are braced for more flooding with heavy rain and strong winds forecast for a second day. The Environment Agency (EA) has issued 83 flood warnings and 139 less serious flood alerts with up to 1.6 inches of rain set to fall in the next 24 hours. On Tuesday, some areas saw more than a month’s rainfall as downpours and winds battered parts of Wales, northern England and Scotland.
Around 300 homes were flooded after low pressure moved north across the country from the Bay of Biscay to the north east coast. The low pressure is now heading south west, which will bring more rain to northern England and Wales, as well as later heavy showers in southern areas.
The EA warned that river levels will continue to rise through Wednesday along the River Ouse in Yorkshire and the River Severn in the South West, which could cause further flooding as the water moves downstream. Communities in the North West and north Wales were also urged to remain on their guard for further floods.
Residents make their way through flood water in Chester-Le-Street, as persistent heavy downpours continued, causing some areas to experience a whole month’s rainfall in just 24 hours.
On Tuesday, a council care home in Gilling West, North Yorkshire, was evacuated when flood defences were breached. Firefighters carried all 19 residents to safety from the Oswin Grove unit after they became trapped by the floodwaters.
Flooded houses in Morpeth as the water levels rose and persistent heavy downpours continued, causing some areas to experience a whole month’s rainfall in just 24 hours. Houses were flooded in Morpeth, Northumberland, after the water levels rose. A crew of refuse collectors had to be rescued by firefighters at Eryholme, North Yorkshire, when a river burst its banks and swamped their truck.
There was no service on the East Coast Main Line between York and Newcastle for much of the day because of flooding at Eryholme, near Northallerton, preventing the running of services between London and Scotland.
Scotland also saw significant travel disruption with fallen trees blocking some roads. Flooding minister Richard Benyon has offered his support to local MPs in helping affected areas recover.
-Sky News