London - KUNA
Severe weather warnings of heavy rain, and flood alerts, are in place across parts of England and Wales, weathermen said Monday. The Environment Agency has issued alerts warning of possible flooding in 30 areas - 20 in south-east England, three in Wales and others in the Midlands and parts of northern England. The Met Office warned of heavy rain in London and south and east England. Last Saturday about 1,000 people were moved to safety from flooding in mid Wales, with an estimated 150 rescued. Weathermen said rain would affect many southern, central and south-eastern parts of England overnight and become persistent and very heavy in places, particularly in the South East. They said further outbreaks of rain would affect parts of Scotland. The latest warnings follow a weekend of heavy rain and flooding, mainly focused on Wales. However, flash flooding also caused the closure of a motorway in West Yorkshire on Sunday night, although the sections affected later reopened. At the height of the flooding in mid Wales on Saturday about 1,000 people were moved to safety, many of them from caravan parks, as floodwaters swept in. Householders started to return to properties to survey the damage on Sunday, although they have been warned to be careful when returning to their homes. Elsewhere on Sunday, villagers at Pennal, Gwynedd, were evacuated because of the risk of flooding from a reservoir, after a slight breach in its dam, before being told it was safe to return.