Flood fears across Britain

Severe storms have struck England and Wales overnight and this morning, causing fears of floods like those seen in July 2007.

Gales hit west and south-east England this morning and currently the Environment Agency has issued 49 flood warnings.

Up to 25mm of rainfall is expected to fall across England and Wales today, accompanied by gale-force winds of 60-65mph on the south-east coast and 50mph inland.

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings of gales and heavy rain.

Warnings from the Met Office:

East Midlands: heavy rain from 1900 Tuesday 15 January to 0100 Wednesday 16 January

East of England: heavy rain from 1900 Tuesday January to 0100 Wednesday 16 January

South West England: heavy rain from 1900 Tuesday 15 January to 2200 Tuesday 15 January

London & South East England: severe gales from 1100 Tuesday 15 January to 1500 Tuesday 15 January and heavy rain from 1900 Tuesday 15 January to 0100 Wednesday 16 January

Current travel disruption:

Train services cancelled in Hampshire.

Delays on the train line between Cheltenham and London Paddington due to flooding at Swindon.

At Wharncliffe Side in South Yorkshire, the A6102 is closed both ways due to flooding

M5 traffic is severely delayed, particularly between junctions 11 and 12 northbound.

Strong winds in the Channel Islands have lead to delays to all flights between Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney.

Severe storms have struck England and Wales overnight and this morning, causing fears of floods like those seen in July 2007. Severe weather is expected for the next few hours.

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