165 flood warnings issued in England, Wales

PanARMENIAN.Net - Flooding and heavy rain are continuing to cause problems in south-west England and parts of Wales and Scotland, BBC News reported.

Overnight, a woman was found clinging to a tree after she was swept away from her car near Barnstaple, north Devon.

One severe flood warning remains in Cornwall, and there are about 165 flood warnings in England and Wales.

Scotland has 30 flood warnings, mainly for Perthshire, Tayside and Angus. There is significant flooding in Stonehaven, near Aberdeen.

Heavy rain in the north of Scotland will slowly ease and wetter weather will return to central and southern parts of England and Wales overnight, bringing with it the threat of further flooding particularly in parts of Devon and Cornwall, according to the BBC.

Some rail services are still severely disrupted by the weather, with First Great Western advising people not to make non-essential train journeys to the West Country.

The Environment Agency has flood warnings in place across all of its English regions - South West, South East, Anglian, Midlands, North West and North East, as well as Wales.

Police have warned motorists not to use minor roads north of Barnstaple. In nearby Pilton, residents may have to be evacuated if floodwater from the River Yeo reaches their homes. Emergency accommodation is being provided at Pilton Community College, police said.

The River Caen in Braunton has also breached its banks for a second night, and police said the Braunton Academy had been opened as an evacuation assembly point.

Cornwall council says it is expecting another band of bad weather, bringing with it an estimated 10mm to 20mm of rain, from Sunday, Dec 23 evening into the early hours of Monday.

About 120 properties in Cornwall were flooded on Saturday, many in Helston when the River Cober broke its banks.