Heavy downpour followed by strong wind flooded more than 800 homes in England and Wales and environmental officials on Monday warned of more downpours.
Beside huge losses of property, two people including a woman were killed due to falling tree in the southwestern English city of Exeter and a man trapped in his car in rising waters in Somerset.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron described the scenes of flooding in the rural southwestern region of Cornwall as “shocking”, and promised that the government will use all available resources to facilitate and rehabilitate the affected population.
Parts of the Cornish village of Millbrook were reportedly under 1.5 metres of water and 40 homes were evacuated after torrents of muddy water swept through the village.
Many communities were cut off after police shut water-logged roads in Cornwall and neighbouring Devon. In Malmesbury area in Wiltshire, western England, water lapped at the door in the worst floods for 14 years.
“It’s gone down a lot but I’m trying to get hold of some sandbags because more rain is forecast for later today,” a local landlord said.
“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.”
Residents of the village of Kempsey in Worcestershire, central England, criticised new flood defences which they said had made the flooding worse, after pumps failed.
The Environment Agency said 816 homes have been flooded since Wednesday across England and Wales and more rain was expected during next two days.
Two killed, 816 houses destroyed in UK flashfloods
