25/06/2007

Rain and gales cause chaos in England and Wales

Severe weather conditions have caused flooding and travel chaos across many parts of England and Wales.

Severe weather warnings are in place in many areas, with an entire month's average rainfall forecast for some places, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and northeast Wales, although the southeast is expected to escape the worst of the weather.

The Environment Agency has 115 flood watches in place across England and Wales and ten severe flood warnings.

A man has died in Hull after being trapped in a flooded drain.

A number of schools and roads are closed in Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, while 70 dogs were also rescued from a flooded kennels in Gloucester.

Fire and rescue services from the South West to Humberside have reportedly received hundreds of calls from people affected by flooding, while hunderds of homes in Herefordshire have been left without electricity.

Homes in north Devon has also been badly affected by flooding.

There are also disruptions on the railways, with services run by Central Trains, Chiltern Railways, First Capital Connect, First Great Western, Transpennine Express and Virgin Trains all affected by the weather.

Play has been delayed at the opening day of Wimbledon, while thousands of music fans travelling home from the Glastonbury festival in Somerset faced more misery following a weekend of heavy rain at the event.

Dame Shirley Bassey, who performed at Glastonbury, was forced to land her helicopter at Collingwood College in Camberley, Surrey, because of the weather.

(KMcA)

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