UK’s deadly floods head north

Flooding from heavy rains in southern England have left at least two people dead and flooded more than 800 homes.

The flooding, which began on Saturday, has seen rains wash away roads as winds of up to 140 kilometres per hour batter much of the southwest.

Al Jazeera’s Simon McGregor-Wood, reporting from Malmesbury, reports that there has been “massive flooding” of the Evron river in southwest England.

Flood warnings

With a number of the area’s residents having evacuated, our correspondent said that some residents spoke of experiencing consistent flooding.

There is “a real sense that his kind of flooding is becoming a far more regular event”, he said.

The mayor has called the floods in Malmesbury the worst in 17 years.

With storms heading to the north on Monday, 265 flood warnings and nearly 300 flood alerts have been put in effect in other areas of the country.

Northern England and North Wales are expected to see another 20 to 30 milimetres of rainfall in the next 24 hours. In North Wales, residents face the risk of some area rivers turning into torrents.

Hundreds of highways remain closed and train services have been cancelled as a result of the rising waters levels.

David Cameron, the British prime minister, has said flood victims will receive all the aid they need.