Daniel Boettcher: Storms batter Britain for five days

The warnings have gone out in the Midlands and central Wales and centre around the course of the river Severn.

Flood alerts are still in place on 11 rivers.

Environment Agency officials said they were "extremely concerned" about flooding along the river through Shropshire, the West Midlands and Worcestershire.

In some places it is at its highest for 30 years and is still rising.

They have redeployed extra staff to help out and Herefordshire has been declared a major incident area by police.

A spokesman for West Mercia Police, covering Herefordshire, said the situation was likely to get worse during the day.

River Vyrnwy in Llansanffraid, mid-Wales, has also been issued with a red warning.

In Wales, the rivers Wye, Lugg, Monnow and Usk are all on red alert.

The agency's head of flood defence, Bryan Utteridge, said: "We are extremely concerned about the situation on the River Severn and will be monitoring it very closely.

BBC correspondent Bob Sinkinson: More heavy rain forecast for tonight

"The high flows on the river have been caused by the heavy rain which fell on the Welsh hills at the weekend finding its way to the sea."

He said that property flooding was likely to occur in Ironbridge, Bridgnorth and Bewdley.

Cost of repairing damage could total £400m

Heavy rain and gale force winds over Tuesday night added to misery in other areas where water levels are already high.

All train lines between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth were closed due to flooding, as were many roads.

The River Dove, in East Staffordshire, had burst its banks, flooding several roads. Local police were warning against unnecessary journeys.

Yellow warnings

And in mid-Wales all major roads around Builth Wells, parts of Newtown and Welshpool were closed due to flooding.

Yellow warnings, which warn of flooding threats to roads and low-lying land, rather than buildings, have been issued in Suffolk, Norfolk, the North East, the South West and Thames regions.

Insurers have estimated the cost of clearing up after last weekend's floods, which claimed 12 lives, as £400m.

They are now considering moves to increase premiums by up to 30% for householders living within two miles of a river.