As it happened - England and Wales flooding

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the floods affecting parts of England after heavy rain and high winds overnight. We will bring the latest updates in text, video and audio as the situation develops.

Homes in Wiltshire were flooded during heavy rain, with four people being rescued from their homes in Malmesbury. Local resident Paul Kershaw said: "I have been here for 20 years and I've never seen anything like that in my life."

To get a sense of the scale of the flooding, you can find images of the worst affected areas in our picture gallery.

In Solihull, in the West Midlands, a number of roads have been closed or become impassable because of flooding. Roads affected include the A452, between Stonebridge Island and Patricks Island, Watery Lane, Friday Lane and Balsall Street.

The flooding minister, Richard Benyon, is heading to Malmesbury and is expected to arrive in the early afternoon.

What protection is your insurance policy likely to offer if you are affected by the wet weather? Find answers in our Q&A on flooding insurance.

Charlie Tanner lives in Wellow near Bath. He says "It has been difficult to work some days as both lanes that we use flood as you can see in the picture. It is sometimes as high as seven feet"

There are 223 flood warnings, which say flooding is expected and immediate action required, across England and Wales - more than 100 are in the Midlands and 69 in the South West, and one in Wales.

The 70-year-old man died after his car came off the road, near Earith, on Saturday night. A passer-by pulled him from the vehicle and the air ambulance called, but it was too late to save him.

There are also 267 flood alerts, which say flooding is possible, so be prepared, in England and Wales. Separately, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has three flood alerts in place for Scotland.

Devon and Cornwall Police say 250 homes have been flooded in their force area in the last 24 hours.

There is currently one severe flood warning - which warns of "danger to life" - in place from the Environment Agency. This is for the River Cober At Helston in Cornwall, including St Johns Road, St Johns Close, Coronation Park and Loe Pool.

Lynda Hanlon, of the BBC Weather Centre, says: "After a brief lull, a new weather system is approaching the south-west of the UK. This is going to bring areas of rain and showers to places already flooded, bringing the risk of further disruption."

BBC Weather Centre forecaster Lynda Hanlon says further rain is expected throughout Sunday in the south west of England. Rain is also expected to hit northern Wales on Sunday evening, before later spreading to the north of England.

Gloucestershire has been particularly badly hit by flooding, with about 1,000 properties left without power due to the bad weather. Hundreds of homes have been flooded in the area.

Cleveland Police has advised people not to travel "unless absolutely necessary" because of flooding on roads. The A66 eastbound at Long Newton, the A177 at Sedgefield, the A689 at Wynyard towards Hartlepool and Low Lane at Thornaby have all been closed.

Northern Rail says the line between Sheffield and Doncaster has reopened, however delays of up to 40 minutes can still be expected.

John Wilkes lives near Whitminster, Gloucestershire. He took this picture when he went for a walk this morning.

Oxfordshire residents have been warned to prepare for flooding as substantial rain is set to fall across the county. Oxfordshire County Council says it has delivered 3,500 sandbags where there is thought to be a risk of highway-related flooding.

The Environment Agency warns that there is a risk of flooding and standing water across north-east England. Heavy overnight rain caused river levels to rise, triggering a number of flood alerts in the region. Further rain is expected on Sunday and Monday, with many rivers full and land already saturated.

Ten homes have been evacuated after a large landslide caused by heavy rain in Old Sodbury, near Bristol. Several thousand tonnes of earth moved in the slip, which happened shortly after 08:00 GMT.

BBC Weather issues fresh warnings of heavy rain. By the end of Monday, between 50-70mm may have fallen in the North East of England, with 50mm over parts of northern Wales.

Four people had to be rescued by firefighters from two homes in the Wiltshire town of Malmesbury after heavy rain led to flooding. The mayor of Malmesbury said it was the worst flooding he had seen in the centre of the town for nearly 70 years.

London Midland rail says: "Owing to flooding between Stoke-On-Trent and Stone all lines are blocked. Train services running through these stations may be diverted at short notice. All stations between Crewe and Stafford will not be served."

First Great Western trains says there is "major disruption" on lines through London Paddington-Oxford-Hereford, London Paddington-Bristol-Cheltenham-south Wales, and all services in Devon and Cornwall.

The Environment Agency has issued a flood warning for the River Blackwater in Hampshire. It come after as much as 35mm of rain fell across Hampshire on Saturday, with the wet weather set to continue. A flood alert has also been issued for Lymington River, including Brockenhurst, in the New Forest.

tweets: In addition to latest Amber warning for heavy rain in NE Eng on Monday, 10-15mm, possibly 30mm, will fall from this pm over SW Eng.

To summarise the latest goings-on in the aftermath of flooding and heavy rain:

• Two people have died. A woman was killed by a falling tree in Exeter on Saturday night, while a 70-year-old man died after his car crashed into a swollen river in Cambridgeshire.
• Prime Minister David Cameron said on Twitter there were "shocking scenes of flooding in Cornwall and around the country".
• There are some 271 flood alerts - indicating people should prepare for possible flooding - in England and Wales and more than 220 other flood warnings in place across England, which mean people should take action because flooding is expected.

The other key points are that:

• Hundreds of homes have been flooded in Devon and Cornwall and elsewhere. One severe flood warning is in place in Helston, Cornwall.
• Properties have been flooded in Malmesbury in Wiltshire, Kempsey in Worcestershire, and areas of Gloucestershire. Houses have been evacuated in some areas.
• The BBC Weather Centre said persistent rain would continue in the north of England and into Scotland on Sunday, turning heavy in places but clearing quite quickly from southern parts.

Martin Weiler, of the Environment Agency, says: "The ground is saturated and the rivers are swollen. In many cases the water simply doesn't have anywhere else to go. This is a pretty phenomenal event all round." He adds that thousands of places have been protected by flood defences and urges people to be "flood aware" and not to attempt to drive through water-logged areas.

Tom Hudson, landlord of the Rose and Crown pub, just a few yards from the river at Malmesbury, says: "Houses across the road have been flooded to a depth of three or four feet, with furniture floating around in the rooms. I've been here 14 years and there were floods in 2000 and again in 2007, but this is much worse than either of those."

Several people have been rescued by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, which took 45 calls related to flooding overnight following heavy rain. And a number of flood warnings have been issued for the county by the Environment Agency.

West Mercia Police warns members of the public not to drive through standing water after rescuing 20 people from their vehicles overnight. It says there have been issues with standing water in the region, particularly in the Kempsey area, where at one point there was up to 10 inches of water covering the A38.

First Great Western spokesman Dan Paines warns passengers who were intending to travel from the south west of England to London on Sunday or Monday morning not to travel.

Gloucestershire fire services says it is receiving a high volume of calls to Cirencester and Tewkesbury. There have also been a number of flooding incidents in Stroud.

Environment minister Richard Benyon says the government will ensure everything possible will be done to help. He says it is important for people to sign up for Flood Agency warnings. "It allows people to be prepared," he says.

Mr Benyon says around 20,000 homes have been protected by flood defences that have been constructed in the last decade. "That's good news, but not so good for others who have been flooded," he says. The minister estimates that about 500 homes have been flooded so far.

"What we learned for the floods in 2007 has been invaluable and what the local authorities are doing has helped. We learn lessons from every flood - no two flood situations are the same," adds Mr Benyon.

Nathan Hudson, of West Midlands Ambulance Service, says: "We were called out to several incidents where cars have tried to pass through flooded roads, fords and small rivers and got stuck. It is quite simple - driving through flood water is inherently dangerous."

He adds: "The emergency services have had to risk difficult and often dangerous conditions in the middle of the night. A little bit of common sense from the public will ensure that no-one's life is put in any unnecessary danger."

tweets: We're urging all residents at risk of flooding to prepare for flooding whilst its light. More heavy rain due tonight/tomorrow #floodaware

The latest information on the wet weather and its effects is available from the Environment Agency's free flood warnings system.

on the BBC News Facebook page writes: it doesn't actually help when councils don't clean drains so the water can run off. They are quick on spending money on civic events but on what they are actually elected to do they forget

Aerial view of Exeter reveals the extent of flooding in the area.

says fallen trees have led to the main A58 being closed. It follows flooding in Collingham, West Yorkshire.

"The water started to soak up through the floor and within a few seconds it was coming in through the front and back door. We literally had five or ten minutes to try and do what we could before the floods damaged all my furniture, but the trouble was there was such a short period of time to get things up," says Kempsey resident Dan Corns.

Hereford and Worcester Fire Service rescued 28 people overnight from across Herefordshire and Worcestershire after parts of the region were flooded.

Tales of heroism and narrowly-averted disasters are emerging. A 12-month-old baby was rescued from flooding in Oldwick Lane, Blagdon, Somerset on Saturday night, it has been reported. A boat was used by Avon Fire and Rescue to rescue the baby and his/her family from their stranded car.

In Plymouth, about 60 people were evacuated due to safety concerns in a dozen locations and there were numerous reports of people being stuck in their cars.

Wiltshire Fire Service says it is pumping water out of homes in Castle Combe. Firefighters are urging people not to enter the water at all. One local resident says it has not been this bad for at least 60 years

Tuesday's all-weather horse racing meeting at Southwell, in Nottinghamshire, has been abandoned due to rising flood waters.

We've received several pictures from the parts of Britain worst hit by flooding. Some of the most striking images can be found in our picture gallery.

"Yet again I call on the government to reach an agreement with insurers that will keep flood insurance available and affordable," says Stephen Gilbert, the Liberal Democrat MP for St Austell and Newquay.

"The last two days should be a wake-up call for a government that needs to grip this issue and do so quickly. We know that flash flooding is increasing because of climate change and there's now little we can do to stop it, but the government must act to make sure people aren't left without insurance when the worst does happen," adds Mr Gilbert.

Upper Lydbrook, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, was flooded this morning after heavy rain caused a culvert to collapse.

You can find information and advice on flooding-related insurance at our Q&A on the subject.

Supt Sarah Sharpe, of Devon and Cornwall Police, says: "Please don't travel unless you absolutely need to. Don't enter flood-water, particularly on foot, and if you're travelling in a vehicle, don't go into flood-water unless you know the depth of that water. We do have a lot of abandoned vehicles that are causing problems on our roads."

Earlier, environment minister Richard Benyon said he was "so impressed with how the emergency services and Environment Agency have responded" to the flooding. If you missed it, watch the interview in which he gave his response to the situation.

In Lostwithiel, Cornwall, residents piled sandbags at their doors amid fears the River Fowey would again burst its banks. Resident Michael Marks, 79, said: "The year 2010 was the worst, and last night was the second real flood. We have flood defences and another is being built on the other side of the river."

Aerial footage of flooding was sent to the BBC by viewer James Laver. He used a drone camera to show shots of flooding across Malmesbury, in Wiltshire.

Bablock Hythe caravan park in Oxfordshire by the nearby River Thames could be flooded as heavy rain continues, the Environment Agency warns. Other places under threat of flooding include Northmoor, Stanton Harcourt, Eynsham, Swinford and Yarnton.

A football pitch at Caldicot Castle country park in Monmouthshire was flooded following the rain on Saturday. The Met Office is warning of further flooding in Wales with heavy rain expected in areas already mopping up after earlier downpours.

Up to 30mm of rain fell in Wales on Saturday - two days after many places, particularly in north Wales, were left under water. More rain is forecast for the remainder of Sunday, continuing into Monday.

Martin Weiler, of the Environment Agency, says: "People have got to remain flood aware and respect the weather that we are having." He says about half of the flood warnings are in the Midlands [England] and he says "this is now very much a national flood crisis".

Mr Weiler adds: "The scale of this event and these continual events, all summer and now again into the autumn, means the ground is just saturated. The rivers are full and there's nowhere for the water to go. We're doing everything we can, we're working with our partners and working with communities to minimise the effect."

Speaking in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, environment minister Richard Benyon says: "We want to make sure that every single community has got a plan, that they are working to it, they are buying in to it, and that they are testing it."

The latest information from the Environment Agency shows there are 226 flood warnings in place - 119 of which are in the Midlands. South West England is the next worst affected area, with 58. Flood warnings mean people should take action because flooding is expected.

There are more than 270 flood alerts in England and Wales. The alerts indicate that people should prepare for possible flooding.

Returning to south-west England, and the BBC's Alison Johns in Cornwall reports a tree has fallen across the A38 at Notter Bridge, hitting a car. The occupants are OK, but shaken. The road is blocked and the emergency services are at the scene.

While householders and businesses are beginning to assess the scale of the damage to properties, spare a though for this farmer near Glastonbury, whose hay bales got swamped by rising water levels on the Somerset Levels.

Staying in Cornwall, and at about this time on Saturday the fishing village of Polperro was on alert as the sea threatened to breach sea defences. However looking at the situation on Sunday, local councillor Edwina Hannaford said flood defences installed since the turn of the millennium largely did their job. She said: "There was a 40-minute period last night where I think some people were thinking the worst.

"But it is fair to say the flooding wasn't as bad as it could have been. I think the flood defence did its job."

Here's an update from the BBC Weather Centre : There will be a further band of heavy rain crossing the Midlands and South West England tonight which will clearly not be helpful, but the focus of flooding worries will transfer to other parts of the British Isles overnight, our forecasters say.

A weather front will become slow-moving across northern England and north Wales tonight and tomorrow, and it's here that we are likely to see some further serious flooding.

Chris Fawkes in the BBC Weather Centre adds: The Met Office has issued an Amber weather warning for 50-70mm of rain by the end of Monday - some roads in the area are already blocked due to flooding even before this next dollop of rain has moved in, so further big problems are expected.

It will become very wet in north-west England with around 40mm of rain, perhaps enough to cause some localised problems.

A Met Office Amber weather warning has been issued for north Wales, with 50-70mm of rain expected, locally 90mm over hills. We've seen flooding in north Wales in recent days, so further flooding is very likely.

The flooding is causing problems on the rail network on Sunday evening, with the impact likely to affect Monday morning commuters. National Rail Enquiries has posted on its website the latest updates for the West of England main line - which will be closed on Monday between Exeter St Davids and Yeovil junction. Buses will replace trains.

Rain is falling again in Kempsey, Worcs, says the BBC's Ben Ando. This is the village where £1m-worth of pumping equipment failed on Saturday night, leaving homes inundated. However, reports our correspondent, the Environment Agency says an engineer will be with the machinery throughout Sunday night to ensure it does not fail again.

The Environment Agency's Dave Throup is providing flooding updates via the micro-blogging site Twitter. You can follow his latest by clicking here.

This is the view from Ruishton, a village near Taunton in Somerset. If you're concerned about insurance and what sort of treatment you can expect if your home has been flooded, have a read of this Q&A by our personal finance reporter Kevin Peachey.

BBC weather forecaster Chris Fawkes adds this advice to his recent forecast (see 17:05 and 17:08) if you are at risk from flooding: "If you live in properties in these areas that have been affected by flooding before, it might be worth considering moving irreplaceable valuables such as photo albums upstairs, out of harm's way.

"And don't go near swollen fast-moving rivers. Driving vehicles through fords that are usually safe to cross could really put your life at risk."

If you're worried about flooding, keep up-to-date with the latest information by tuning to your BBC Local Radio station. You can find their frequencies by clicking here.

Yellow lines and No Waiting signs did not stop this fisherman taking advantage of the rising floodwater from the River Ouse in York, to set up his spot on a city centre road, as floodwaters rose across the north of England following gales and storms.

Residents of Kempsey, Worcs, have criticised a £1m flood defence scheme, which failed on Saturday night, leading to the River Severn breaking its banks and swamping the village. But the government says it has helped 20,000 homes across the country as a whole.

We are going to draw things to a close with our live coverage of the flooding that has affected many parts of England and Wales. If you have been affected, our main news story will keep you updated throughout the evening and tonight - it also has useful links and information. And don't forget to tune in to your BBC Local Radio station for the latest updates in your area.