Youth climate strikers say they had to cancel their first ever national conference yesterday due to serious flooding in Staffordshire.

The conference was due to start on Sunday afternoon, but heavy rain made roads around the venue impassable and police advised that the conference should not go ahead for safety reasons, the UK Student Climate Network said.

Sophia Coningham, 15, from London, said there was a "bleak irony" in the cancellation happening because of the weather.

"It won't discourage the youth strikers - for us it's just one more demonstration of how badly our entire lives will be disrupted if we don't get a grip on carbon emissions," she said.

A woman in Ludlow, Shropshire, says she was left in tears after her home flooded while she was at work at the weekend.

The resident, who didn't want to be identified, said she'd lived in the town all her life but had never seen flooding this bad.

"I've been here nearly 50 years and I'm just so gutted, because I've only been in my house for 12 months," she said.

The woman added it was frustrating watching people take photos of her flooded home on Temeside.

Staffordshire Fire Service says it has made a joint decision with Highways England and contractors to leave the floodwater on the A38 for the time being as "there is currently nowhere for it to go".

It estimates that there is about one million litres of water lying on part of the A38 near Lichfield.

Jeremy Hunt, the MP for South West Surrey, has tweeted to say that the flood defences that were opened last year in Godalming have prevented Meadrow - part of his constituency - from being underwater.

Image source, Getty Images

Two people were swept away in flood water near Tenbury Wells on Sunday after stopping and stepped out of a vehicle, West Mercia Police said.

The woman who went missing near Easham Bridge is believed to have died, while a man was rescued and remains in hospital.

Assistant Chief Constable Geoff Wessell said: "Two people did go into the water and got swept away.

"They stopped and got out of the car because of the water and then got caught up into more of a stream of water that took them away.

"It absolutely illustrates - do not drive into water, do not go into water, it's far too dangerous."

The Environment Agency has said latest figures show around 420 properties have been flooded - with 18,500 defended from rising waters.

The agency's John Curtin says both numbers are likely to rise - but he suggests Storm Dennis has so far seen fewer homes flooded than the previous storm, Ciara.

BBC Shropshire

Shropshire Council has defended itself over criticism residents were not given enough information about the flooding situation in the county over the weekend.

Callers to BBC Radio Shropshire complained about delays in providing support on the ground, a lack of access to sandbags and not getting through to the council's advertised highways flood line.

Clive Wright, Shropshire Council's chief executive, described it as an "unprecedented weekend", with the worst flooding centred around Ludlow, Clun and Ashford Carbonel.

He said teams had faced a lot of demand for help.

"The priorities are to first protect life, the next priority is to protect major infrastructure and then the third priority is around assisting people, but obviously... we were overwhelmed by the first two," he said.

Downing Street has defended the government’s response to Storm Dennis, saying that the prime minister receives “regular updates” on the flooding.

Boris Johnson's official deputy spokesman was asked why flooding in the run-up to December's election saw a meeting of the emergency committee Cobra and a visit by the PM to flood-hit areas. Neither has happened following Storm Dennis.

The spokesman outlined a number of measures being taken, including activating the Bellwin Scheme - which reimburses local authorities for emergency spending, deploying three miles (5km) of flood barriers, 1,000 Environment Agency Staff and the military.

No 10 added that flooding is “terrible” for anyone affected.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Jonny Richardson-Glenn from the Healthy Minds charity in Calderdale offers emotional support to people affected by flooding in Hebden Bridge and Todmorden in West Yorkshire.

"Obviously there is a big emotional impact, it is an adverse life event and these things have long-term consequences for people," he tells BBC Radio 5 Live.

"That is where organisations like us, as part of the first response, providing an emotional response come in."

He adds: "It's often a little time later that the emotional impact hits - when you have the head space."

He adds there is a "constant anxiety" for those who live in areas that have been repeatedly affected by flooding.

The River Wey in Guildford, Surrey, has reached its highest level since Christmas 2013 - with the Environment Agency warning its levels are yet to peak following the weekend's rainfall.

Phil Mackie
Midlands correspondent, BBC News

A kayak has just gone past me on a street here in Hereford.

There a lot of people standing around watching because a fire rescue boat has just gone up the road.

Such was the volume of the rain that it is still moving in from little rivers into bigger ones.

Many roads are impassable because of the flooding and it does feel that things are getting worse even though the weather is better and it hasn't rained since the weekend.

I've not seen anything like this in this part of the world - these are record levels.

And there is a lot of water still coming down the River Severn.

Natural Resources Wales says its provisional data shows that the River Taff at Pontypridd has reached its highest level for more than 40 years.

Disruption to two major trainlines will continue for another hour or so, according to National Rail.

It said Storm Dennis will cause problems for Southern and Thameslink services until 13.30 GMT.

Image source, PA Media

BBC Weather says some areas in the UK have recorded more than double their average rainfall for February already - thanks in part to Storm Ciara and Dennis.

Here are some of those rainfall figures (readings for up to 18:00 GMT on Sunday):

• Keswick, Cumbria - 213mm (average 120mm)
• Shap, Cumbria - 315mm (average 166mm)
• Bingley, West Yorkshire - 178mm (average 77mm)
• Shobdon, Herefordshire - 107mm (average 56mm)
• Hereford, Herefordshire - 101mm (average 47mm)
• Usk, Monmouthshire - 182mm (average 87mm)
• Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire - 103mm (average 51mm)
• Llysdinam, Powys - 183mm (average 86mm)

The Humber Bridge has reopened to all traffic this morning.

It had been closed to vulnerable and high-sided vehicles following Storm Dennis hitting the UK.

Andrew Marston
BBC Hereford and Worcester

Water is now touching Victoria Bridge in Hereford, as levels on the River Wye continue to rise.

One resident, who has lived in the city for for 70 years, says he has never seen the river this high.

Local photographer for the Hereford Times Nick Evans described the scene as "unprecedented".

"I'm 53 and I've never seen anything like it," he adds.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Robert and Justine Clayton live in Pontypridd, right beside where the River Taff burst its banks. They returned home last night to retrieve their goldfish.

“Everything that was in the drawers is tipped out because it was bashed about floating… including the sofa," Justine told 5 Live reporter Rory Carson, “it makes me feel like I want to cry, just devastation".

She said the water came in either side of the door and the ground floor was under 3ft of water.

"I have never seen anything like it... we’ve been awake all day and night, I am knackered now."

The couple came back to save their fish.

“I know it sounds silly," Justine said, "but we’ve had that fish for nearly 30 years – I think he’s got a right for us to be able help him”.

"We’ve spent years building this up and it’s absolutely decimated," added Robert, "but we’re safe and the neighbours are safe and you realise that’s what is important".

Listen to 5 Live on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Wales News Service

Owners of a family-run nursery submerged in floodwater in Wales say they are heartbroken after all the children's work was lost.

The Little Friends Playgroup, in Taff's Well, near Cardiff, was submerged to its roof during Storm Dennis.

Lauren Forward, who runs the nursery, said the children's work was irreplaceable.

A fundraising page has been set up for the nursery, with parents saying they would struggle to find alternative childcare. Read our full story here.

Image source, Getty Images

Storm Dennis has left parts of the UK under several feet of water, damaging homes and leaving many people stranded.

But how can flooding be prevented or alleviated? Find out more about some of the main methods used in the UK, including flood barriers and dredging rivers, here.