After the deluge... come more floods

Scores of people were evacuated from their homes yesterday as rivers in Devon and Dorset flooded. There were severe flood warnings across the country, and rain caused disruption to transport and events ranging from horse racing to music festivals.

Torrential rain is believed to be the cause of a road accident in which a 20-year-old man died in Northumberland yesterday. The man was pronounced dead at the scene in East Tynedale.

The Environment Agency said there were 76 flood warnings and 142 alerts in England and Wales and a further 13 in Scotland. The North-east, the Midlands and the South-west were particularly badly hit. Parts of York were submerged, and people were endangered by parts of the Rivers Yealm and Axe in Devon and in the village of Burton Bradstock in Dorset.

Nearly 30,000 people were warned not to attend yesterday's qualifying session for the Grand Prix at the Silverstone track in Northamptonshire after rain left thousands stranded in traffic jams near by.

In Russia, meanwhile, torrential rain caused flooding which killed more than 100 people. The death toll is expected to rise as officials in the Krasnodar region in southern Russia said scores more people were reported missing.