Rain batters Britain, with more forecast

Heavy rain battered parts of Britain overnight as householders were warned of a high risk of flooding today.

Worst hit was the village of Shap in Cumbria, which experienced 40mm (1.6in) of rainfall in 12 hours.

Forecasters warned there was more to come, with the downpour set to continue today in northern England, north-west Wales and western Scotland.

In parts of western England and Wales winds could gust at up to 70mph.

At 9.55am the Environment Agency had 31 flood warnings and 62 less serious flood watches in place for England and Wales, with Cumbria predicted to be particularly badly hit.

A spokeswoman for the agency said six properties in Cumbria and three in north-west Wales had been flooded as of 10am.

Rachel Vince, a forecaster with MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said Cumbria bore the brunt of the rain overnight.

As well as Shap, 30mm (1.2in) of rain fell in Keswick between 6pm and 6am this morning.

Ms Vince said: "It's fairly widespread and heavy rain. Across much of western Scotland, the Lake District and a lot of the Republic of Ireland, there was over 10mm of rain in a 12-hour period overnight.

"Unfortunately for those areas the rain isn't expected to move very far today."

Forecasters are predicting that between 15 and 30mm (0.6 to 1.2in) of rain will fall over these parts of the country between 6am and 6pm.

Localised rainfall of 50mm (1.9in) is likely to be recorded in some areas, and could be even higher over the mountains.

The rain is expected to ease off tomorrow as it moves into south-east England.

Ms Vince said: "There will be some respite by tomorrow night - by the evening it looks like being dry across the whole of the UK."

The Environment Agency advised people to check on the elderly, move valuable items to safety and be prepared to switch off gas and electricity supplies.

A spokesman said: "Due to recent heavy rain and the current weather forecast, we are expecting flooding to property in the north-west of England, particularly Cumbria.

"Environment Agency teams are working around the clock, monitoring river levels and are out on the ground checking flood defences and clearing debris from rivers.

"We urge people to remain vigilant and people should check the latest flooding situation and sign up to our free flood warnings service at www.environment-agency.gov.uk or by calling 08459 881188."

The spokesman also warned of a tidal surge today in the northern Irish Sea which could cause an increased flood risk along the west coast from Aberystwyth northwards.

Yesterday roads were closed and householders warned their properties were at risk of flooding in towns across Lancashire, especially in areas near the River Irwell and River Calder.