Heavy rains cause chaos across UK
Pastor Dale Morgan
Heavy rains cause chaos across UK*
By Bonnie Malkin and agencies
Last Updated: 5:19pm BST 15/06/2007
Huge downpours hit much of Britain overnight and more bad weather is
expected, raising the threat of severe flash floods across many parts of
the country as the weekend approaches.
Horse in floodwater
Several fields near Birmingham were flooded
The Birmingham area was worst hit by the storms, which disrupted the
rail network, closed schools and left one solider missing.
Central Trains said all services between Birmingham and the East
Midlands had been suspended due to severe flooding, which was at its
worst in the Water Orton area.
Services linking Birmingham with Walsall and south Staffordshire were
also suspended, a spokesman for the operator said.
A major search was launched for a young soldier who fell into a beck
while on a march on Hipswell Moor in North Yorkshire. Servicemen,
police, Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team and an RAF helicopter are
involved in the rescue operation.
In Sheffield, eight primary schools and one secondary school were forced
to shut because of the weather. One nursing home in the city was also
evacuated.
At least 15 road closures were in place, the council said.
A forecaster for MeteoGroup UK said the wettest place was Bingley, near
Bradford in West Yorkshire. The town was deluged with 2.8in of rain in
24 hours.
And there is more rain to come.
As the rain sweeps up the country, it will be replaced by further
showers and thunderstorms around Devon and Cornwall.
Bad weather
The Sheffield area was also hit by heavy rains
The weekend will also see widespread heavy showers, with the situation
improving on Sunday, the forecaster said.
The temperature in England and Wales is expected to reach a high of 18C
(64.4F) or 19C (66.2F) on Saturday and 16C (60.8F) in Northern Ireland
and Scotland.
The Met Office issued heavy rain warnings for Northern Ireland, Wales,
north west England, Yorkshire and Humber, and the West and East Midlands.
The Environment Agency also put flood warnings in place across the UK.
People were advised to call the Environment Agency Floodline for news on
flood warnings on 0845 988 1188.