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Heavy rain sparks flood alerts

The Environment Agency has issued yellow alerts for parts of Wales, the Midlands and the south-west of England.

The areas at risk include the River Wye and River Vrnwy in Powys and over the border into Shropshire, the Rivers Mawddach and Dyfi in mid-Wales, and the Isle, Lower Tome and Brue in Somerset.

Yellow alerts warn of possible flooding to low-lying farmland, or roads near rivers or the sea.

Although the warnings are the lowest level given, the agency warned that further heavy rain - which is forecast - could swell rivers quickly.

A spokesman said: "We are monitoring the situation 24 hours a day. It is certainly a time to be vigilant."

On the River Severn in England, heavy overnight rain was blamed for an accident in which five people were hurt when a pleasure boat hit a bridge near the village of Apperley, Gloucestershire.

The rain raised the river level, leaving less room than normal for the paddle steamer to pass under Haw Bridge, which carries the B4213 over the Severn.

The injuries of the five are not thought to be life-threatening. About 40 other people on the boat were unhurt in the incident on Monday.

Northern Ireland was worst hit by the downpours, which cut power supplies in some areas.

And residents on a housing estate in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, were flooded for the second time in less than a year.

In a repeat of last October's storms, around 30 houses in the Monkstown area were hit by floodwater several feet deep.

Heavy rain in the county made driving conditions extremely hazardous, with several roads rendered impassable, though no major accidents were reported.

Farmers were forced to move cattle out of waterlogged fields.

More rain forecast

In the west country, a 46-year-old man from south London was swept to his death by a large wave.

The man was fishing with a 44-year-old friend at Barras Nose Point near Tintagel, Cornwall, when he fell into the sea on Monday afternoon.

His name has not been released as police are attempting to contact relatives in London.

Although the storms are moving north away from the UK, more heavy rain is forecast for Scotland, Northern Ireland, north-west England and southern England early on Tuesday.

Thundery showers are forecast for some parts of south-east England on Tuesday morning while more widespread rain is forecast for south-west England in the afternoon.

The rest of the UK can expect mostly dry weather on Tuesday, although more rain is forecast for Wednesday and Thursday.

Relevant Stories

Floods lead to demand for action (20 Sep 99 | Northern Ireland)

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