SITTING DUCKS
THOUSANDS of homes remain at risk of flooding after torrential downpours this weekend caused rivers across the country to burst their banks.
Due to the heavy rain over the weekend - which flooded homes and businesses and cancelled football matches - river levels have remained high.
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The Environment Agency has issued 82 flood warnings and 117 flood alerts, with the Midlands most affected by the wet weather.
The warnings cover major rivers including the Avon, Derwent, Don, Ouse, Severn, Trent, Weaver and Wye.
Homes were evacuated in Hereford over the weekend amid the worst flooding seen there in 20 years, with the River Wye at its highest levels since records began.
Chris Bainger, from the Environment Agency, said flood defences in Hereford "really did their job" and the flooding "could have been a lot worse".
A major clean-up operation is now underway after at least 20 properties, including a care home, had to be evacuated on Saturday.
Carla Good was forced to take refuge upstairs after water rushed into her home.
She told the BBC: "It's just terrible, all the carpets are wet through, we're all having to wear boots."
She said the lino in her kitchen had been ripped up by the floods, the garden was "a mess" and her house now "smells disgusting".
Pub landlord William Chambers said he had to stop serving food at The Bridge Inn in Kentchurch, in Herefordshire, when the "fields just emptied" into his pub.
He said "half the village" helped clean up the devastation yesterday.
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In Worcester, emergency services rescued 70 people from flooding.
Downpours caused flooding in Northwich, Cheshire, and the evacuation of the local marina in the early hours of Sunday.
Rob Allen, who has been on holiday in the Gloucestershire village of Lydbrook since the weekend, said water from the River Wye had affected his family holiday.
He said: "We are on holiday down in the area and we knew that the river was rising overnight, but we woke up this morning and didn't expect it to have risen so high.
"It has affected our access to the holiday home we are in. The family car has been flooded and all three cars are going to be written off.
"From where we are staying, it is a good 400-500ft from the river - the local flood warden knocked on the door at tea-time yesterday and said there was a chance it would rise but I don't think he expected it to affect the vehicles in the way it did."
Mr Allen said his family were forced to fetch some personal belongings from the cars using a canoe.
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The Environment Agency said there will be travel disruption in the affected areas and warned that some homes will flood.
Evesham, Ludlow, Tewkesbury and York are among the towns and cities braced for rivers to burst their banks.
Emily Hood, 21, a student at York St John University, said: "York is renowned for flooding but I've studied at York St John University for the last three years and I have never witnessed it risen this high before."
Forecasters said the weather would turn dry and sunny for the next two days but the temperatures would drop sharply.
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The Met Office said: "Most areas bright with long periods of sunshine, albeit hazy across southern England.
"Most parts dry, but some showers over northern Scotland and the far east of England. Cloudier and windy over Cornwall where rain at times for some."
But due to the warnings, flood defences have been put in place in Bewdley, Hereford, Upton-upon-Severn and Shrewsbury, and temporary barriers were erected at Ironbridge in Shropshire.
Weather forecast for Monday October 28 2019 - A cold day with plenty of sunshine with some rain coming for the west fo the UK and Scotland