Battered Britain on flood watch again

A woman is carried from her home in northern England

LONDON, England -- Britain is braced for more severe flooding following a warning that more heavy rain is forecast, just days after the worst storms the country has seen for more than a decade.

The agency has posted 22 severe flood warnings -- meaning an imminent danger to life and property -- affecting 10 rivers across the country.

"Severe flood warnings are still in force this morning on the River Severn and on rivers in Yorkshire, where the continuing threat of flooding remains high," the agency said.

RESOURCES Most Severe Weather Spots     ALSO Second tornado hits English coast Tornadoes: Not just a U.S. phenomenon Britain and France lashed by storms

"River levels in much of the south are high, but now steady or dropping slowly. More rain is forecast, however."

On the Severn, a major river in western Britain, the town of Shrewsbury has been badly hit, with flooding expected downriver of the town later on Wednesday.

In Yorkshire, northern England, the city of Leeds was flooded by the River Aire for the first time since 1946. At its peak the Environment Agency said the swollen river was carrying 150 tonnes of water per second through the city, but is no longer considered dangerous.

York is more used to coping with the floodwaters of the River Ouse and the city's expensive flood defences have protected the central area, although there has been flooding in outlying areas near the river.

Southeast England was hit by floods earlier in October and again by the storm that swept the country on Sunday and Monday.

"The picture for the next few days is unsettled, with further periods of rain coming," Meteorological Office spokesman Colin Donnelly said. "I know that's not good news for a lot of people."

On Tuesday Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott called the storms -- the worst to hit Britain since October 1987 -- a "wake-up call." He said the government would push through new guidelines to limit building in flood-risk areas.

According to the Environment Agency's Emer O'Connell there are five million people living in the two million homes built on flood plains in England and Wales.

Extensive flooding exacerbated the chaos on railways as network operator Railtrack pressed on with a massive investigation into hairline cracks in the tracks.

Many services were running again on Wednesday, but there were still line closures in the worst-hit areas.

First Great Western, which operates the high-speed service from South Wales through Bristol to London, warned passengers not to travel.

The main line was closed due to flooding and an alternative route was blocked after two freight trains collided in the early hours of Wednesday.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Britain's railways hit by new collision
November 1, 2000
Eight people die in Europe storms
October 30, 2000

Met Office

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.