Flood warnings have been issued in the south of England (Reuters)
Flood warnings have been issued across South England and Wales. The highest level of alert has been sounded in the south-west, where two severe flood warnings are already in place.

The recent storms in across the UK have left over 20,000 properties without power this Christmas season, and about 1,000 homes are partly submerged in floods as many rivers remain in spate.

Electricity is not expected to be restored before the end of the week, while the Environment Agency has issued more flood warnings and forecast heavy rainfall in southern England, which may add to the woes of thousands of people already facing disruptions to their daily life.

The storms came from the Atlantic as well as from the continent, and initially hit the southern parts of England, mainly Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, but are expected to move towards the north.

The Environment Agency said that there could be "significant disruption" across southern England, and "heavy showers may worsen the current flooding situation in some areas", according to Sky News.

"Ongoing river flooding across the Somerset Levels, River Severn, River Thames and River Ouse in Cambridgeshire and rivers across Essex is expected over the next few days," the agency spokesman added.

The EA has issued flood warnings for Beaulieu Garden Park Home Site, Iford Bridge Home Park and the River Stour in Dorset, and disruption warnings for Aylesford and Millhall, near River Medway in Kent.

The Atlantic storm could gain wind speeds of up to 70 mph and is predicted to affect all parts of the UK except the East Midlands and East Anglia, according to the BBC.

As many as 93 flood warnings and 185 flood alerts have been sounded across England and Wales. But flood warnings in Wales are falling, with only three definite warnings for the region as of now.

"River levels in Wales are dropping following the prolonged periods of heavy rainfall that led to surface water flooding earlier this week," a spokesman for Natural Resources Wales said.

Gale force winds and rains have claimed about five deaths in the last few days.

Travel Disruptions

Thousands of people were stranded at Gatwick airport in West Sussex on Christmas Eve, as an electricity substation flooded at the North Terminal. The Civil Aviation Authority says it will investigate disruptions.

There could be potential cancellations and delays at Heathrow Airport. A spokesman has advised passengers to check with their airlines before travel, the Telegraph reports.

Train operators warned of widespread delays and cancellations and many train companies will be running restricted timetables and at reduced speeds.

"The disruption to transport could be quite severe," said Emma Compton, a forecaster at the Met Office.

Compton warned the south-west will be the worst hit by the storm, as rain is "already falling on quite saturated ground", adding to the risk of flooding.

Evacuations

  • 76 people were rescued from a flooded caravan park in Yalding, Kent, on Christmas Eve.
  • 90 people were evacuated from their homes on the River Stour near Bournemouth in the early hours of Christmas Day.
  • More than 100 people were evacuated from Beaulieu Garden Park Home in Christchurch.