Councils on flood alert as heavy rain sweeps across UK » Communities » 24dash.com

Britain will be buffeted by heavy rain and strong winds today as the first major storm of the autumn gets under way.

Parts of the UK have been warned to expect more than two weeks of rainfall in 24 hours, and forecasters say there is a risk of localised flooding across the country.

South-west England and south Wales have been battered since the early hours and the rain is expected to head north east throughout the day, hitting Northern Ireland and the south of Scotland by mid-afternoon.

Paul Mott of MeteoGroup warned that up to 50mm of rain was expected in the next 24 hours, as much as would be typically seen in a fortnight in September.

Experts warn that after an unusually-wet August the ground is saturated the risk of flooding is increased across the UK

Gusts of up to 50mph will make it a "thoroughly miserable" day according to Mr Mott, who advised commuters to leave extra time for their journeys because of the weather.

Mr Mott said: "For most areas it will be a wet and miserable day, and we would advise people to take care on the roads and allow extra time for their journeys.

"There will be some localised flooding in Wales and the north east in areas that are prone to it, but we're not expecting widespread flooding."

"It's going to remain unstable over the weekend. There will be rain, sometimes heavy rain, through the UK with northern England bearing the brunt of it.

People in Gloucestershire are bracing themselves for another night of heavy rain after storms swept into the region, causing flash floods.

Downpours overnight and this morning led to road closures in the county and firefighters had to pump out floodwater from homes.

Residents are now preparing for the possibility of more flooding after forecasters predicted downpours to continue throughout the night and into the morning as the South West feels the brunt of a storm coming in from the Atlantic.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for the region until this evening and say around 2in of rain is expected.

Severe weather warnings are also in force for Wales, the north west, north east, south west and south east of England as well as London.

Gloucestershire County Council has put services on high alert after learning from the lessons of the major floods which wreaked havoc throughout the county in July last year.

Around 13 houses in Lakeside Avenue, Lydney, have been affected by flash flooding and householders say it is the second time this year the street has been deluged.

A man was rescued by firefighters after a tree branch fell on his car early today.

The incident happened at Denham Bridge in the Bere Alston area of west Devon just after 7.30am.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said the man was in the vehicle suffering from neck injuries.

He was removed from the vehicle on a spine board by firefighters before being taken to hospital by ambulance.

One of the main commuter routes into Exeter, Devon, was affected when a tree fell in the East Wonford Hill area,and diversions were set up, police said.

Plans to build an 26ft-long ice sculpture of one of Britain's most famous bridges were cancelled today due to the extreme weather.

Ice artists were due to to create a four-tonne replica of the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol city centre this morning to promote Smirnoff vodka.

Project spokeswoman Effie Kanyua said the lifespan of the work would be affected by the rain - as would the amount of people turning up to see it.

She said: "It is ice, so it is pretty robust but just in terms of the public enjoying the scultpure, they are not going to be able to do that if the weather is as bad as it is predicted.

"We've weighed up the pros and cons and have postponed the building of the bridge until next Friday."

The work will have more than 300 limes and green apples embedded in its blocks and was commissioned by Smirnoff to launch two new flavours of drinks being trialled in the city.

Robinswood primary school in Gloucester was closed today after its rear playground and playing field flooded.

The county council said the closure was a precaution after a "considerable amount of water" engulfed the grounds.

Several A and B roads in the county carried standing water, with Staverton, near Cheltenham, St Oswald's Road in Gloucester and the A48 at Lydney particularly affected.

Flood watches were in place on the River Evenlode at Moreton-in-Marsh, on the River Windrush at Bourton-on-the-Water, and all waterways in the Forest of Dean.

Exeter city council in Devon said today all its sports pitches would be closed for matches and training over the weekend because of the weather.
In the Western Isles, there was a rare sighting of a funnel cloud.

Funnel clouds consist of condensed water droplets and extend from the base of a cloud.

If they touch the ground, they become tornadoes, generating winds of up to 80mph.

The cloud, seen near the village of Back on the Isle of Lewis yesterday, hovered just above the ground.

Matt Dobson, of MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said that on average 30 to 40 tornadoes are reported in the UK every year, although not all are large.

He said: "This is certainly a large funnel cloud.

"Reports of funnel clouds are becoming more common, possibly because people are more aware of them, and because so many people are able to capture them on camera phones."