Britain on flood alert after extended period of heavy rainfallReported by Metro.co.uk on Thursday, 10 May 2012 (on May 10, 2012)
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*Intense and prolonged overnight rain is likely to cause widespread flooding across southern and eastern England and Wales, the Environment Agency has warned.*
Tewkesbury, England: Thousands of homes face a renewed risk of flooding (Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Rain fell on more than 90 per cent of Britain on Wednesday night and in some places downpours lasted more than eight hours.
Particularly heavy bands of rain swept eastwards last night along the south coast and across East Anglia leaving rivers high and fields saturated.
The risk of localised flooding is also strong across the south and south-west of England, south Wales and the Midlands.
Scotland and the north-east will be drenched until this afternoon and winds of up to 50mph will cause problems.
‘Rivers are high and the ground is saturated, meaning that further rainfall brings with it an increased risk of flooding,’ said Environment Agency flood manager Katharine Evans.
‘If flooding does happen, we would urge people to keep away from swollen rivers and not to attempt to walk or drive through floodwater.’
A Range Rover drives through flood waters (Picture: Getty)
Although the outlook is brighter for the weekend hundreds of amateur cricket and football matches will be cancelled because of waterlogged pitches.
However, there will be respite for gardeners who have been forced to stay indoors for the last week and watch the lawn and weeds grow even longer.
Large areas of Britain will see sunshine tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday as temperatures remain at 13-15C (55.5-59F) in Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and London.
Links:  Full news story
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