Communities in UK face flood warnings

Thousands of people face another day of misery caused by the worst September storm for 30 years in the UK, weathermen said on Thursday. Heavy downpours swelled rivers and flooded 400 homes and businesses, while rail and road networks were swamped by high water levels. While the rain will continue to ease off today, dozens of communities have been warned they are still at risk. Residents of a block of townhouses in Newburn, Newcastle, south east England, were among those facing a second night out of their homes after floodwater gouged out the ground beneath the building, which remains cordoned off amid safety concerns. Businesses were damaged and looters broke into the KB Cycles near to the stricken townhouses, stealing bikes worth tens of thousands of pounds from the shop while roads were blocked by water and silt, police said. This morning there were still more than 50 flood warnings, mostly in the North East, and 80 less serious flood alerts. The River Ouse at York, which yesterday flooded riverside car parks, is still rising and is expected to reach five metres (16ft 5in) this morning, the Environment Agency said, and could rise further still as water levels peak upstream of the city. Firefighters had to rescue people from a number of riverside homes in the area. Further north, a small bridge partially collapsed in the village of Scorton, near Richmond, northern England. The road and rail network was still struggling to return to normal, with delays and disruptions continuing to affect the north of England. The floods have been triggered by more than double the average rainfall for the month falling since Sunday, the weathermen said. Local Councils have called on the Government to set up an emergency fund to help pay for millions of pounds of repairs to roads damaged by the persistent rain and flooding in the past few months. The Local Government Association warned repairs would be needed to bridges, roads and pavements and the urgent nature of the repairs could leave stretched town hall budgets in disarray. It said funds might have to be diverted from elsewhere to plug the gap, causing cuts to services or planned infrastructure projects that aim to boost growth being put on the back-burner. Insurers estimate the typical cost of repairing and refurbishing a flooded property is around 20,000 pounds. Alison Baptiste, flood risk manager at the Environment Agency, said: "Flooding has a devastating impact on people, families and communities, and our thoughts are with those who have been flooded this week". Emergency services have dealt with hundreds of calls and incidents across the north of England and Wales over the past few days.