HAWICK, Scotland - Heavy rains lashed parts of Scotland, Wales and northern England on Wednesday, causing widespread flooding and forcing many households to evacuate their homes.
Hundreds of homes were left underwater and driving was said to be hazardous after the overnight downpours, while further flooding was feared as weather forecasters issued severe warnings that the heavy rain would move south.
The problems came as the Environment Agency (EA) warned that many Britons living in areas at risk from serious flooding were failing to take precautionary measures.
Five million people living in two million properties have homes in flood risk areas, but more than 40 percent are unaware of the threat, according to the agency's research.
"Although we're unlikely to see flooding in the UK like that caused by the Boxing Day tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, there is still a significant flood threat here from extreme rainfall and coastal surges," said EA chief executive Barbara Young.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said the threat of flooding across Scotland would remain for the foreseeable future. That included a severe flood warning for the River Teviot in Hawick where many homes have already been swamped.
"SERIOUS DANGER TO LIFE AND PROPERTY"
"This means that severe flooding is expected for the area, affecting many homes and businesses, main roads and large areas of land. There is a serious danger to life and property," the agency said.
The downpours also struck the area around the northern English city of Carlisle, where three people were killed in floods in January and 76,000 homes were left without electricity.
"There has been significant flooding across the county," a spokesman for Cumbria Police said.
The EA said it had 15 flood watches in force at rivers across England in Wales where flooding was possible.
Five years ago, Britain suffered its wettest autumn for 270 years, leading to some of the worst floods ever to hit the country.
Whole villages had to be evacuated as storms battered more than 700 areas across Britain, leading to floods which damaged 10,000 homes. The agency said the total financial cost was more than 1.3 billion pounds.
In August 2004, a flash flood destroyed much of the Cornish village of Boscastle, sweeping cars into the sea while residents had to be plucked to safety by helicopters from rooftops.
Since 1999, the EA said, 20 people have died as a direct result of flooding.
"There's a tendency for people to think 'it'll never happen to me,'" said Young. "The fact is, it could: we just don't know when. People in this country cannot afford to be complacent about flood risk."
The agency's research found that two-thirds of people in flood risk areas said they were unlikely to take any precautions to protect themselves or their homes, while a third did not know whether their insurance policies covered flood damage.
Story by Chris Watt
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
