Severe flood warnings remained in place in Wales on Wednesday after hundreds of people spent the night away from their homes, while parts of England were also at risk of further flooding, officials said.
Residents were evacuated from around 500 homes in St Asaph, Denbighshire, on Tuesday after the River Elwy burst its banks and an elderly woman was found dead by rescuers.
The Environment Agency had some 169 flood warnings still in place across England and Wales on Wednesday, meaning flooding is expected, while another 177 flood alerts were issued, indicating that flooding is possible.
Although rain has eased in many places, further flooding and disruption is still possible in some parts of the country, including Gloucester, Salisbury, Oxford, Sunbury, Abingdon and York, with the Thames, Trent and Severn rivers particularly at risk, the agency said.
Mobile flood defences have been erected in Shrewsbury and Bewdley.
Around 1,100 properties have flooded in the last week, while flood defences have protected over 51,000 homes, the Environment Agency added.
Helen Ross, a 37-year-old mother-of-two from St Asaph, said her house was among those inundated.
“I have lived here nine years and I never seen the river cause flooding like this,” she said.
Tearfully she added: “We’ve lost everything downstairs. It’s heartbreaking.”
A severe flood warning remains in place in the tiny city in north Wales, where many people sought shelter overnight in a local leisure centre, as well as in nearby Rhuddlan.
The devastating floods have so far claimed three lives including that of a man killed when his 4×4 became submerged by water after getting stuck under a bridge in Somerset.
An inquest has been opened and adjourned into the death of an elderly woman who was discovered by officers conducting hour-to-house checks in St Asaph, North Wales Police said.
Rain eases but flood risk continues
