UK weather: Flash flooding causes travel disruption

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Sileby in LeicestershireImage source, Dr Andy Green
Image caption,

The village of Sileby in Leicestershire has flooded after a brook burst its banks

Flash flooding across England has left roads under water, railway lines blocked and cars stranded.

There are 34 flood warnings, external and 160 alerts in place across the country, with travel widely disrupted.

A number of roads are submerged in Cumbria, while flooding and landslides have blocked the railway line between Carlisle and Newcastle.

There are warnings of coastal surges in Cornwall and Norfolk, while Southern England could experience power cuts.

A Met Office yellow warning for rain, external lasts until 20:00 BST across large parts of central and southern England.

A major incident has been declared on the Isle of Man as severe flooding left people trapped in their homes.

Image source, Mary Hyman
Image caption,

Mary Hyman's son said floodwater had forced her to move into a caravan

Mary Hyman's bungalow in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, has flooded repeatedly during heavy rainfall, her son Bill told the BBC.

Mr Hyman said his mother, who is in her 70s, has been forced to live in a caravan on her drive because of recent flooding, which has worsened this week.

He said: "It's not good at her age, she's got a good retirement home where she should be living, not in a caravan.

"She's going to be spending Christmas in the caravan."

Media caption,

Scott Green said the driver and her husband were 'very grateful'

Scott Green, from Mountsorrel, rescued a woman who was stuck in a car surrounded by water on Sileby Road, under the A6.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service also tweeted a video of water flowing down a residential street in the village, which is about three miles from Mountsorrel.

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The nearby village of Sileby has also been left under water after heavy rainfall overnight saw a brook burst its banks.

Dr Andy Green, 48, who has lived there since 1997, said a flood siren had sounded on Monday evening.

"It's the first time in 20-odd years it has flooded this badly," he said.

"There's a good community spirit. Everybody is working together to help each other and those worse affected."

Swithland St Leonard's Church of England Primary School near Loughborough has been evacuated by firefighters.

Image caption,

Cars were stranded in flash floods in Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire

A driver had a "very lucky escape" after escaping uninjured from a car caught in flood water in Himbleton, Worcestershire, a spokesman for Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said.

The vehicle became pinned to the bridge at Shell Ford shortly before 11:00.

Heavy rain has also caused flooding on a number of roads in the Carlisle area.

A landslide at Haltwhistle has blocked the line from Carlisle to Newcastle, and flooding in several places means trains between the cities have been replaced by buses, Network Rail said.

People evacuated from caravans and coastal properties in Hunstanton, Norfolk have been allowed to return.

But with more high tides to come, the Environment Agency has told residents to look out for further updates.

Image caption,

The high tide at Hunstanton was not as bad as predicted

Image source, GNRP
Image caption,

Flooding has disrupted services on the Cumbrian Coast line, including this stretch near Aspatria

BBC Radio Cornwall tweeted from Mevagissey: "High tide is an hour away but the water is already topping over the jetty.

"The area is normally packed with fishing gear and cars but has been cleared in preparation."

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Flooding is expected in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire along the Humber at Hessle Haven and along the east coast at Bridlington, Hornsea, Easington and Kilnsea, according to the Environment Agency.

Image caption,

The River Witham in Boston, Lincolnshire, peaked on Tuesday morning

Image caption,

A view from a train near Selby in Yorkshire shows waterlogged fields

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

The River Avon in Bristol burst its banks causing flooding across the city overnight.

Bristol Harbourmaster tweeted, external the floodwater had almost entered the team's office on Monday night, and parts of walkways and streets had been submerged.

Stormy weather over the weekend has destroyed a bungalow next to a Grade II-listed lighthouse in Suffolk, its owners have confirmed.

Image source, Bristol Harbour Authority
Image caption,

The Bristol Harbour Authority tweeted this picture of floodwater on Monday night

Several shops were forced to shut in Cheadle High Street in Staffordshire after a landslide brought down walls which blocked fire exits.

Image source, Douglas Macmillan Hospice
Image caption,

A number of shops were shut on Cheadle High Street after a landslide

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