17/12/12
By Steven Birch
Following last week's freezing conditions, rain battered parts of the country over the weekend, with several flood warnings being issued as a result.
The Environment Agency (EA) issued its second highest alert in seven areas on Sunday, while there were also 80 flood alerts across England and Wales.
It followed patches of heavy rain on Saturday that created flash floods in towns near the coast in England and Scotland.
Experts picked out the south-west of England and parts of Wales as being particularly at risk for flooding, with Sally Webb, forecaster at MeteoGroup, said rain remained constant on Sunday night, especially around the Bristol Channel.
"It will be the south-west of England and western parts of Wales that will see the worst of the weather, with up to 10mm of rain in some places," she said.
Meanwhile, the EA said high tide levels and big waves increased the chances of travel disruption and homes flooding along the south coast of England, parts of south Wales and eastern areas of the Bristol Channel.
In a statement the EA said: "Impacts may include the flooding of individual properties, local disruption to travel and spray and wave overtopping in the coastal areas."
Three flood warnings are in place today in Somerset - for Salt Moor and North Moor, the A361 between East Lyng and Burrowbridge, and Curry Moor and Hay Moor.
Three warnings are in place in the Anglia region, one at Cogenhoe Mill caravan site in Northampton, and two close to Whittlesey, Peterborough.
In Wales, Dale Tidal along the south-west coast was also subject to a warning.
Firefighters in Devon yesterday praised the speedy actions of three hunters who found a man desperately clinging to a tree following a flash flood.
More than 12 firefighters helped rescue the man near the River Exe yesterday. He was taken to hospital with hypothermia.
Land's End Airport in Cornwall was also reportedly forced to close due to a waterlogged runway.
