Rain soaks Britain as a fortnight’s worth falls in just a day

Landslip blocks a busy A-road as a fortnight’s worth of rain falls across Britain in just a day and the Environment Agency warns of 253 possible floods with more bad weather on the way

  • At 8.30am, Environment Agency had 74 flood warnings across England and Wales needing ‘immediate action’ 
  • Later in week, aftermath of Hurricane Lorenzo will bring strong winds and 11ft waves on the south-west coast  
  • Met Office said Northern Ireland and Scotland are due some more sunshine after a fairly bright day on Sunday

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Britain has been hit by a fortnight’s worth of rain in just a day with more heavy downpours to come and warnings of 253 possible floods. 

At 8.30am, the Environment Agency had 74 flood warnings across England and Wales requiring ‘immediate action’ from people affected and a further 203 alerts for possible flooding.  

Photos showed the A490 near Welshpool in mid Wales blocked by a huge landslide yesterday, and more travel disruption is expected later on. 

A shocking photo showed the A490 near Welshpool in mid Wales was blocked by a huge landslide yesterday, and more travel disruption is expected later on

The landslide blocked the busy A-road yesterday evening, forcing local police to divert traffic onto other roads to allow workmen to clear it

The landslide blocked the busy A-road yesterday evening, forcing local police to divert traffic onto other roads to allow workmen to clear it 

A bright and dry start across much of the UK is expected to give way to heavy rain in the afternoon. 

Later in the week, the aftermath of Hurricane Lorenzo will bring strong winds and 11ft waves on England’s south-west coast, according to forecasts. 

‘There will be another spell of rain across much of the UK on Monday,’ Met Office meteorologist Mark Wilson said. ‘There are warnings in force for Wales and western England.’ 

After a brief respite on Sunday morning, the north of England was forecast to receive up to 70mm of rain in 24 hours, causing treacherous travel conditions.

There was no train service from Sheffield to Manchester due to water on the tracks, and there were speed restrictions in the opposite direction.

The operator warned it had imposed speed restrictions on many parts of its network due to safety concerns.

A bright and dry start across much of the UK (pictured here is the Golden Valley in Herefordshire) is expected to give way to heavy rain in the afternoon

A bright and dry start across much of the UK (pictured here is the Golden Valley in Herefordshire) is expected to give way to heavy rain in the afternoon

A stunning autumn sunrise this morning at the Golden Valley in Herefordshire. The pleasant conditions are not expected to last

A stunning autumn sunrise this morning at the Golden Valley in Herefordshire. The pleasant conditions are not expected to last 

The Williams 2 Tall ship sails in the North Sea off the coast of Northumberland during this morning's stunning sunrise

The Williams 2 Tall ship sails in the North Sea off the coast of Northumberland during this morning’s stunning sunrise

Northern Rail asked cycling fans turning out for the final day of the UCI Road World Championships in North Yorkshire to rethink their travel plans after the route had to be changed to avoid flooding.

The fanzone in Harrogate also had to be closed.

Despite the heavy weather, the Men’s Elite Road Race went ahead although organisers had to amend the route to skip some of the most scenic parts of the Upper Dales.

Undeterred, thousands of fans lined the route with umbrellas and wellies to watch one of the biggest events on the cycling calendar.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, said: ‘We were really disappointed for the race organisers as they had to take the decision to curtail the route.

Waves crash over the promenade in Dover, Kent, yesterday, as forecasters warn that up to 70mm of rain could fall over the highest parts of the country

Waves crash over the promenade in Dover, Kent, yesterday, as forecasters warn that up to 70mm of rain could fall over the highest parts of the country

This car was seen abandoned on a flooded road in Peterson-Super-Ely, which was just one area of the country to be battered by heavy rain yesterday

This car was seen abandoned on a flooded road in Peterson-Super-Ely, which was just one area of the country to be battered by heavy rain yesterday

‘We were particularly sorry for those communities in Reeth and Grinton who were looking forward to the race after the difficulties they have faced during July’s flash floods.

‘(The) decision was unavoidable because we had to ensure the safety of cyclists and spectators and to concentrate assets in other places to enable the race to go ahead at all.

‘But so many heroic spectators still came out for what has been an extremely wet but a spectacular finish to a great week with many highlights.’

The Met Office said Northern Ireland and Scotland are due some more sunshine after a fairly bright day on Sunday.

Parts of England and Wales could see highs of 19C (66.2F) or 20C (68F) on Monday, a little above average for the time of year, but this would be masked by the wind and rain.

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