Flash floods cause chaos in Britain
Pastor Dale Morgan
Flash floods cause chaos in Britain*
LONDON, July 20 (AFP) Jul 20, 2007
Torrential rain and thunderstorms struck Britain on Friday, causing road
and rail chaos, forcing television stations off the air and delaying the
start of play in the England cricket Test.
Homes flooded, rail companies cancelled services and police reported a
slew of weather-related car and truck crashes.
Sweeping in from the south-west, the rain struck first in southern and
central England and Wales.
Rail company First Great Western advised would-be travellers against
taking to the train, saying two days of rain had fallen in an hour in
some places across the network.
"Even if the flooding subsides, all our trains will be in the wrong
places and there will still be severe delays," he said.
Some of the country's television stations briefly went off the air as
satellite signals were disrupted, while computers froze in offices.
The heavy rain also delayed the start of the second day's play in the
first Test between England and India at Lord's in London, though play
did eventually begin late. Around the country, many outdoor events were
postponed or cancelled.
The latest bad weather came after four people died in floods in June and
thousands of people are still homeless after flood damage.
"It's fair to say that what we're seeing today is extremely rare for
this time of year," said forecaster Helen Rossington.