Thousands homeless as floods ease

Emergency services have worked around the clock

Emergency services have worked through the night to rescue people threatened by rising flood water from homes and rooftops.

The south east of England suffered the worst of the flooding, with water rising so quickly in some areas that rescuers had to smash their way through windows and pull people into boats.

Thousands of residents have spent the night in emergency shelters after their terrifying ordeals and do not know when they will be able to return.

This looks as if it is going to be the UK's costliest natural disaster

Salmon Assessors

The threat of further heavy rains has receded but emergency services are still on full alert, and insurance experts are warning that the floods could be the most expensive natural disaster yet to have hit the UK.

Some houses have been total submerged in water and are severely damaged.

To add to the problems, flood water in certain areas is contaminated with sewage and diesel.

And some emergency vehicles, including an ambulance, have had to be abandoned after getting trapped in rising flood water.

The worst hit areas are East and West Sussex and north-west Kent.

Uckfield, in East Sussex, where more than 150mm of rain fell in 12 hours, saw a lifeboat crew rescue 20 men, women and children trapped in a Somerfield supermarket on Thursday.

Click here to see a map of the worst hit areas

Night workers and residents in flats above shops also had to be rescued, though water has now drained away from the centre of the town.

Ray Kemp, from the Southern Region of the Environment Agency, described the situation as "dire" and warned people not to take risks.

"If you encounter floodwater, don't travel through it. This is a very severe emergency.

Severe Flood Warnings

East Sussex rivers: Ouse, Uck, Cuckmere

Kent rivers: Tiese, Beult, Bourne, Rother, Eden, Swalecliffe Brook, West Brook, Hampton and Medway

"This is probably the worst rainfall we have had for many, many years in southern England."

Low-lying areas of historic Lewes were also evacuated overnight as the swollen River Ouse collapsed a wall and threatened to burst altogether.

A total of 16 Severe Flood Warnings - alerts of an imminent threat to life and property - have now been issued for 13 rivers in Sussex and Kent by the Environment Agency.

In Kent, water was held back at the Leigh Barrier near Tunbridge Wells, preventing it flowing down the River Medway towards Tonbridge.

But with the storage reservoir now full, many homes in Tonbridge and Yalding are being evacuated.

The ambulance service was urging people not to dial 999 unless it was a "real emergency".

Lewes MP Norman Baker, who is working with the emergency services, said parts of the town were "unrecognisable".

People have been urged to move pets to safety

He called for one body to be in charge of flood precautions instead of the four separate ones at present.

The government is expected to offer financial assistance to local authorities for the huge clean-up operation that will start when the flood waters finally recede.

On a visit to Lewes on Thursday night Countryside Minister, Elliot Morley, said £420m will be spent in the next three years through capital grants to strengthen flood defences.

"We seem to be having more violent weather patterns and we accept that it could be due to global warming," he said.

"We are aware of this as a government and we acknowledge that it will require increased financial commitment to coastal and flood defences."

Meanwhile one of the main companies representing the public in insurance claims has said costs may run to £4bn - the biggest bill for a natural disaster the country has seen.

Jeffrey Salmon, managing director of Salmon Assessors, said: "From the number of claims that are coming in this looks as if it is going to be the UK's costliest natural disaster.

"On early and conservative estimates, the flooding in southern England is likely to cost insurers over £2bn, more than double the cost of the great hurricane that hit the same region in 1987.

"However, the actual cost of putting the damage right could well top £4bn when you include those who are not insured and will have to pay themselves."

Floods Hotline: [phone]

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