Flooding 'probable' until Tuesday as Storm Babet rail disruption continues

A car pictured on a bridge washed away near Dundee following Saturday's torrential rain

Flooding following Storm Babet could last until Tuesday, the Environment Agency has warned.

Travel problems are also expected to continue, with train companies warning of major disruption.

Four severe flood warnings were in place on Sunday morning, three in Derbyshire and one in Wales, meaning there was significant risk to life.

But rain is forecast to ease across the country later, with drier and brighter conditions expected.

Three people are so far confirmed to have died since Thursday.

Police Scotland told the BBC on Sunday morning that it was continuing to search for a driver, who was reported to be trapped in a vehicle near Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, in the early hours of Friday. The force did not provide further details about the man's identity.

Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire County Council has urged people in up to 500 homes to evacuate amid flooding fears from the River Idle.

Flooding has caused problems across Britain's rail network, with disruption set to continue in parts of Yorkshire, East Anglia and the East Midlands on Sunday.

Network Rail explained that there is also still major disruption on rail routes across parts of Scotland.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has advised its customers not to travel north of Edinburgh, while it has no services operating from the city towards Aberdeen or Inverness. It added that urgent repairs are taking place at Plessey Viaduct.

A major clean-up operation is also continuing as flood-hit communities deal with the aftermath of the storm, which hit parts of Scotland and the north east of England particularly hard.

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The Environment Agency has said flooding from major rivers could continue for days.

The organisation's flood duty manager, Katharine Smith, added: "Following persistent, heavy rain from Storm Babet, severe river flooding impacts are probable in parts of the East Midlands and South Yorkshire... into Sunday.

"Ongoing flooding is probable on some larger rivers including the Severn, Ouse and Trent through to Tuesday."

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has warned Saturday's rain will "prolong flooding impacts" and cause additional disruption.

Severe flood warnings for England were in place at Derby City Water Treatment Works, Little Chester, Eastgate and Cattle Market, and Racecourse Park at Chaddesdenearlier on Sunday but have now expired.

The Environment Agency explained on Saturday that 300 flood warnings had been issued across England since Thursday, with the greatest numbers in Yorkshire and the East and West Midlands. Some 200 remained in place at 11:00 GMT on Sunday.

BBC Weather forecaster Gemma Plumb explained: "There were a number places in north and east England and in Scotland that saw at least a month's worth of rain in a few days as a result of Storm Babet, with one or two places seeing closer to twice the average monthly rainfall - one of which was Wattisham in Suffolk."

Natural Resources Wales also had a severe flood warning in place for the village of Llandrinio, "as well as isolated properties in the Severn-Vyrnwy confluence area including Hendre Lane, Haughton and Haimwood" that has since expired.

The second red "danger to life" weather alert in a week expired in eastern parts of Scotland on Saturday evening.

It came after residents in the Aberdeen suburb of Peterculter were advised to leave their homes in case of flooding, while Brechin in Angus was among the worst-hit areas, with 60 households having to be rescued after an evacuation warning for the entire town.

People across Scotland remain in temporary accommodation due to floods, as well as residents from the rural village of Debenham, Suffolk.

Serious damage has been caused in the Marykirk area, where a man was reported missing

Elsewhere, coastguard helicopters airlifted 45 workers off a North Sea drilling platform after it lost anchors during the extreme weather.

Disruption on the rail network led to the closure of London's King's Cross station, with National Rail saying it was "too crowded to be safe for all passengers".

The deaths of three people have so far been linked to the storm, including a man in his 60s who was caught in fast-flowing flood water in the town of Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire on Friday.

A 56-year-old man also died after his van was hit by a falling tree near Forfar, and a 57-year-old woman was killed after being swept into the Water of Lee.

On Sunday, the body of a woman in her 80s found in a property in Chesterfield - with Derbyshire Constabulary initially saying the death was "believed to be related to the flooding".

But the force later stated only that investigations were "continuing".