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UK Flood Threat Remains As More Rain Forecast

UK Flood Threat Remains As More Rain Forecast

Flooding remains a concern in Britain, especially over the South East and parts of Scotland, as torrential summer rain continues to lash parts of the country.

More than a month's worth of rain has been pelting some regions in 24 hours, flooding homes, swelling rivers and streams, causing landslides and wreaking havoc on road and rail networks.

And more heavy rain is forecast to hit the South East and parts of Scotland later Sunday.

The South West still has a severe flood warning in place for Axminster, which means severe flooding which could endanger life is likely.

Nearly 60 flood warnings remain throughout the UK. People in affected areas should expect flooding and take action.

There are also 140 flood alerts, where flooding is possible, in parts of all regions of England, Wales and Scotland.

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Devon was the worst hit on Saturday, with three severe flood warnings issued after more than two inches of rain fell in just 18 hours.

Yealmbridge in Devon has been left with a huge clean-up operation after homes were overwhelmed with up to six feet of water when the Yealm burst through sandbags put in place in a bid to bolster its flood defences.

Further north, a man was killed in Northumberland when his car crashed off a rain-soaked road.

The road crash victim in Northumberland, who was in his early 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision in East Tynedale, Northumberland, at 12.25am.

Although the sustained downpours are likely to diminish over the weekend and the coming days, forecasters said rain will continue to fall in heavy bursts across the whole country for at least another week.

Meanwhile, Silverstone has confirmed they are in a position to "accommodate all ticketholders" for today's British Grand Prix.

Up to 30,000 spectators with public car park passes were advised to stay away from Saturday's qualifying after constant rainfall left car parks resembling quagmires.

It was hoped that leaving those car parks empty would allow them to be in use on Sunday, when a capacity crowd of 125,000 is expected.

A Silverstone statement said: "Silverstone would like to thank fans that heeded the circuit's advice on Friday evening and did not come to the Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix on Saturday.

"While it was an extremely difficult decision, and one that will have disappointed people that had to stay away, the decision gave the circuit a fighting chance to repair and get previously unsafe car parks into a state that can be used on race day.

"The circuit has implemented further contingency plans throughout Friday night and Saturday.

"As a result, it is now in a stronger position to accommodate all ticketholders coming to Silverstone on Sunday."

A Silverstone hotline has been set up for travelling fans, with those affected encouraged to call 08443728300.