Weather-beaten Britain braces itself for more flood misery

Large parts of the country were warned to expect continued misery from flooding later this week after forecasters said further bouts of heavy rain would hit Britain tonight.

Large parts of the country were warned to expect continued misery from flooding later this week after forecasters said further bouts of heavy rain would hit Britain tonight.

The Environment Agency increased the severe flood warnings affecting rivers to 33 and imposed 264 flood warnings across much of England and Wales. As the rain moved north, the city centres of Leeds and York were on severe flood alert and warnings were extended to other cities, including Bath and Shrewsbury.

John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, announced a review of emergency procedures after large areas were paralysed by electricity cuts, road closures, school closures and evacuations.

In an emergency statement to the Commons, Mr Prescott endorsed claims that climate change contributed to the severity of the weekend's weather. He said the worst storms for 10 years were a "wake-up call for everyone".

As the gales continued in the Channel, an Italian tanker carrying 6,000 tonnes of industrial chemicals sank 11 miles north-west of Alderney in the Channel Islands.

People living in the areas worst hit by flooding, particularly Kent, Sussex and the West Country, were warned by the Meteorological Office and Environment Agency officials that heavy showers were expected late tonight and tomorrow. They would further increase river levels and worsen flooding.

The weather claimed its sixth victim when a van driver was killed in Tyne and Wear.

Railways, roads and airports gradually returned to normal yesterday. Railtrack said trains were running on the majority of routes, but said the storms had caused "unprecedented" damage. Miles of track in the West Country, south Wales and the North-west remained under several feet of water.

A Meteorological Office forecaster said that another deep depression could bring storms early next week.