tagged w/ High Winds
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Flood warnings are in place after more heavy rain began to fall in already saturated parts of the UK, accompanied by strong winds.
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for heavy rain in south-west England and Wales.
The worst of the rain is forecast for Saturday afternoon, with the number of flood warnings expected to increase.
The Environment Agency has more than 40 flood warnings and more than 170 flood alerts in place in England and Wales.
Flood warnings mean people should take action because flooding is expected, while flood alerts indicate people should prepare for possible flooding.
Defences shored up
The Met Office is forecasting heavy rain and strong winds across all parts of the country over the weekend.
The Environment Agency said river flooding was likely with the possibility of significant disruption, particularly in Devon, north Somerset, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Wales.
It said: "Strong winds will also increase the risk of flash flooding as drainage channels are likely to become blocked with wind-blown debris.
"The rain will spread north and east, increasing flood risk in north-east and north-west England on Sunday. The picture remains unsettled for the start of next week."
Environment Agency staff worked overnight into Saturday on flood defence work, including shoring up defences and clearing blockages from watercourses.
John Curtin, head of incident management at the Environment Agency, said: "We would urge people to continue to be prepared for flooding, sign up for Environment Agency flood warnings, keep up to date with the latest situation and stay away from dangerous flood water.
"Our teams have been out around the clock over the last few days to minimise the risks and prepare for flooding and we are continuing to deploy teams across the country to keep communities safe."
Strong winds
BBC forecasters said the rain that had already affected the south west of England would get even heavier on Saturday evening. Some 30-50mm of rain could hit south-west England and south Wales, leaving areas vulnerable to flooding after previous deluges.
Strong winds of up to 60mph could also whip the south of England and East Anglia in the early hours of Sunday. The weather system bringing the weather will move into northern England and southern Scotland on Sunday.
BBC weather forecaster Chris Fawkes said: "The flood warnings are a legacy of the really heavy rain we've had already so far this week.
"The rivers have been doing what rivers do best, flowing down hill, taking all that excess water away, but they've not managed to clear the backlog. That's why we've got flood warnings in place right now.
"On top of that, we're seeing the next area of low pressure move into the south west approaches. It is at the moment just to the south west of Cornwall and we've been seeing the rain band get heavier and heavier."
He said in places the rivers were still in flood, so there the situation could only get worse, with the number of flood warnings increasing.
Travel disruption
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson warned people to be vigilant.
He said: "We had one absolute tragedy when one man was killed. I would like to warn everybody that flood water is dangerous.
The clean-up is still going on after Thursday's heavy rain and strong winds
"More rain is forecast over the next few days and it's very easy to leave one's cosy home and just get struck by water and not realise how dangerous it is."
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service have rescued three people from a car stuck in flood water in Mulchelney, Langport.
A 90-year-old woman was rescued after being stranded in her flooded home in North Curry, near Taunton.
On Saturday morning, drivers on the M5 were warned of flood water on the southbound carriageway between Bristol and Portishead. The problem cleared in the afternoon.
The rain is still having an impact on trains, with buses replacing CrossCountry services between Bristol and Exeter and diversions in place between Bristol Parkway and Swindon.
On Thursday, a man died in floods after he became trapped in his car under a bridge in Chew Stoke near Bath.
On Friday, three elderly people had to be rescued from their car as it was swept down a flooded ford near Alcester in Warwickshire.
Meanwhile, Network Rail said trains were likely to be disrupted between Exeter, Taunton and Bristol Temple Meads until Monday.Flood warnings are in place after more heavy rain began to fall in already saturated... more
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