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| More flooding on the way in England and Wales, forecasters warn | More flooding on the way in England and Wales, forecasters warn |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Householders and business owners across England and Wales have been warned to be prepared for further flooding as torrential rain swept across the country. | Householders and business owners across England and Wales have been warned to be prepared for further flooding as torrential rain swept across the country. |
| The Met Office issued an amber alert for the east, south-east and south-west of England and there were concerns that more rain in mid- and west Wales, where hundreds of people are already mopping up, could cause further damage. | The Met Office issued an amber alert for the east, south-east and south-west of England and there were concerns that more rain in mid- and west Wales, where hundreds of people are already mopping up, could cause further damage. |
| By 10am on Monday, 36 flood alerts – signalling that flooding is possible – had been issued by the Environment Agency for parts of the south and north of England, the Midlands and Wales. One warning, that flooding was expected and immediate action would be needed, was issued for areas of Surrey and West Sussex around Gatwick airport. | |
| There was brighter news, at least, in the village of Pennal in Gwynedd, between Machynlleth and Aberdovey. A landslide had blocked a channel through which water normally drains from a disused quarry. The heavy rain meant the quarry was in danger of filling and the water spilling into the village below. | |
| North Wales police told people to leave their homes and most of the 600 residents moved in with friends, relatives or in the leisure centre at Machynlleth, where a temporary refuge had been set up. | North Wales police told people to leave their homes and most of the 600 residents moved in with friends, relatives or in the leisure centre at Machynlleth, where a temporary refuge had been set up. |
| But emergency services managed to cut a new channel from the quarry to allow water to seep out and residents were told they were safe to return. A fire service spokesman said: "The pressure on the reservoir was immense, so public safety was paramount. We have managed to avert a very serious situation." | But emergency services managed to cut a new channel from the quarry to allow water to seep out and residents were told they were safe to return. A fire service spokesman said: "The pressure on the reservoir was immense, so public safety was paramount. We have managed to avert a very serious situation." |
| Hundreds of residents and holidaymakers returned to homes and caravans in and around Aberystwyth after up to 1.5 metres of floodwater caused chaos. | Hundreds of residents and holidaymakers returned to homes and caravans in and around Aberystwyth after up to 1.5 metres of floodwater caused chaos. |
| About 150 people had been rescued or evacuated after 150mm of rain fell in 24 hours – twice as much as normally falls in the whole of June. | |
| The Welsh first minister, Carwyn Jones, said the government was spending £40m on bolstering flood defences and tackling coastal erosion over the next year. "The reality is you can't prevent flooding at all times especially when you get very unusual weather patterns such as we've seen over the last few days in this part of Wales. The situation will be examined, we'll talk to the Environment Agency about what could be done to help boost flood defences in the future," he said. | The Welsh first minister, Carwyn Jones, said the government was spending £40m on bolstering flood defences and tackling coastal erosion over the next year. "The reality is you can't prevent flooding at all times especially when you get very unusual weather patterns such as we've seen over the last few days in this part of Wales. The situation will be examined, we'll talk to the Environment Agency about what could be done to help boost flood defences in the future," he said. |
| In England, parts of West Sussex were badly hit by flooding with firefighters receiving more than 80 flood-related calls between 10.30pm on Sunday and 3am on Monday. | In England, parts of West Sussex were badly hit by flooding with firefighters receiving more than 80 flood-related calls between 10.30pm on Sunday and 3am on Monday. |
| Some homes in Littlehampton were under 1.2 metres of water, and a temporary centre for people who had been evacuated was set up at Littlehampton Swimming Centre. | |
| A fire service spokesman said: "There are no reports of any injuries, but people are being urged to stay out of floodwater due to the dangers of lifted manhole covers and water contaminated with sewage." | A fire service spokesman said: "There are no reports of any injuries, but people are being urged to stay out of floodwater due to the dangers of lifted manhole covers and water contaminated with sewage." |
| Parts of the M1 in West Yorkshire were shut during the night after flash-flooding made driving hazardous, but the road was reopened by Monday morning. | Parts of the M1 in West Yorkshire were shut during the night after flash-flooding made driving hazardous, but the road was reopened by Monday morning. |