UK weather: More rain forecast after flash floods across Britain

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Media caption,

Residents were trapped in their homes in the village of Laxey on the Isle of Man

More rain and winds are expected in parts of the country later this week as the remnants of ex-Hurricane Lorenzo arrive in the UK.

The storm - the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the far east Atlantic - will have lost most of its power by the time it arrives on Thursday.

It comes after torrential rain brought flash flooding and led to some places being evacuated on Tuesday.

On the Isle of Man a major incident was declared with people trapped indoors.

Elsewhere, some areas in the Midlands, Wales and southern England were hit by a week's rain in just an hour, as thunderstorms swept across the UK.

Roads and railways were closed and some flights from London's Heathrow Airport were delayed on Tuesday evening due to the bad weather.

Dozens of flood warnings and alerts remain in place, external across England.

Louise Lear, from BBC Weather, said temperatures would turn colder on Wednesday before an area of low pressure - carrying gale-force gusts and the remnants of former Hurricane Lorenzo - approached Northern Ireland on Thursday.

The low pressure would move eastwards and south during Thursday and into Friday, bringing "a spell of wet and windy weather", she said.

Image caption,

Thursday and Friday will see wind and rain hit western parts of the UK, BBC Weather said

The Met Office said Northern Ireland, western Scotland, Wales and south-west England will most likely be affected.

Evacuations

On Tuesday, the Met Office issued issued a yellow warning for heavy rain across large parts of central and southern England and Wales.

On the Isle of Man, the village of Laxey was cut off after its second major flood in four years.

The river that gave the village its name burst its banks, leaving people trapped in their homes and washing away cars.

The fire service helped to evacuate several houses, while a coastguard helicopter was flown in on standby.

The village was previously flooded in 2015, when a 200-year-old stone bridge was washed away. One villager told the BBC that this year's flooding was the worst he had seen.

Image source, PA Media
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Local residents make their way through floodwater in Cossington, Leicester

Image source, PA Media
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Also in Cossington, a clean-up operation is under way at a flooded home

Flights from Heathrow were delayed on Tuesday evening because of "poor weather conditions across London and the South East", a spokeswoman for the airport said.

And the Thames Barrier closed for the second time in a week to protect London from flooding.

In Cornwall, floods caused by a coastal surge meant people were told to leave caravans and seaside properties.

There were several flood warnings in Wales, external and one flood warning in Scotland, external, around Loch Ryan, which has since been lifted.

Image source, PA Media
Image caption,

A woman wades through floodwater in Alum Rock, Birmingham

Image source, PA Media
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Commuters shelter from the rain under umbrellas in Queen Square, Bristol

Up to 50mm (2 ins) of rain fell in a couple of hours in some places.

By Tuesday afternoon, the highest hourly rainfall was 25.6mm, recorded at Pennerley in Shropshire. That part of the country normally receives just 96mm of rain in the whole of October.

But the localised nature of the downpours means the heaviest rainfall may not be recorded by a weather station, the Met Office said.

Worcestershire was one place that experienced torrential rainfall, with the fire and rescue service issuing a warning to drivers after a car was submerged in floods.

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In the north of England, heavy rain meant a number of roads were flooded in Cumbria and a landslide on the rail line between Carlisle and Newcastle disrupted train services.

Flooding on the Cumbria Coast line between Carlisle and Maryport saw cancellations on Northern services from Carlisle to Barrow and onwards.

However, fears of a coastal surge in Hunstanton, west Norfolk, proved unfounded.

About 3,000 households were told to evacuate, but Environment Agency confirmed an all-clear had been given just before 10:00.

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The sea at Hunstanton, west Norfolk, where thousands of homes were evacuated

Image source, PA Media
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A cyclist braves the floodwaters near the river Soar in Leicestershire

Image source, PA Media
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Stormy seas batter the lighthouse at Seaham in Durham

Flooding appeared to trap cars in the East Midlands, with two vehicles caught up in high waters at Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire.

Fire crews were called to three vehicles stranded in flood water in Birmingham in 20 minutes.

And in North Yorkshire, firefighters rescued two people and a dog from a van which had driven into a fast-flowing river,

Image caption,

Two cars are trapped by water near a church in Colston Bassett

Meanwhile, fire and rescue services across England attended a number of flooded homes to help pump out water.

Image source, Carlisle East Fire Station/PA Wire
Image caption,

Firefighters helped pump water from homes in Carlisle

Do you live in an area affected by flooding? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, external.

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