A14: Road partially reopens after flooding in Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire

The A14 is closed between Thrapston and Ellington

The A14 in Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire has been reopened in places after widespread flooding.

Northamptonshire was hit with heavy rain on Wednesday, with cars abandoned on flooded roads.

Highways England said the A14 between Thrapston in Northamptonshire and Ellington in Cambridgeshire would reopen eastbound.

At 18:00 GMT on Thursday, it remained closed westbound between junctions 18 and 22.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said it dealt with more than 250 calls on Wednesday and Thursday.

Parts of Ashton Village in south Northamptonshire are under water

The calls included reports of flooded properties and people being stranded in vehicles, it said.

Affected areas include Wootton Brook in Northampton, Cogenhoe Mill, Grendon, Yardley Hastings, Bozeat and Denton.

Up to 30 homes in Kettering are being evacuated, with Northamptonshire Search and Rescue heading up the operation.

Homes in Kettering are being evacuated following heavy rain in the area

The operation in Kettering is being headed up by Northamptonshire Search and Rescue

A joint statement from Northamptonshire police, fire and rescue service, county council, Highways England and Northamptonshire Clinical Commissioning Groups said "a large number of calls" had been received, with "many from stranded drivers who have driven into floods".

The statement urged people not to call 999 "unless there is a serious risk to life or threat of danger to property".

It added: "Doing so puts services under strain so those who do require an emergency response may have to wait longer.

Stoke Bruerne in Northamptonshire has been affected by the heavy rainfall

"We are also advising people not to drive into water - the depth isn't immediately obvious and the risk often unapparent."

It urged people to take "extreme caution" in "difficult" driving condition, particularly as temperatures dropped later in the day, resulting in potentially icy roads.

Northamptonshire Police said homes and roads across the county have been flooded, including in Irthlingborough

Jack Churchman, who runs landscaping company JPC Garden Services in Wellingborough, told BBC Radio Northampton his company had distributed 100 sandbags to residents in "absolutely sodden" houses.

"It was shocking," he said. "None of the drains were working. Houses were getting water going straight through their front and back doors."

The River Nene has burst its banks in several places, including at Warmington in East Northamptonshire.

The River Nene flooded at Warmington

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