Bridge fears as floods hit England

Reuters

HEAVY RAIN: Homes in the north of England have flooded and there are fears for the safety of bridges, after torrential rain.

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Engineers and emergency workers have checked hundreds of bridges, fearful some could collapse and isolate villages, as heavy rain lashed northwest England.

In the southwest, a 46-year-old canoeist, believed to be from the Reading area died after becoming wedged under trees on the flooded River Dart near Newton Abbot in Devon on Saturday.

A search was underway for a 21-year-old woman believed to have been swept into the River Usk in Brecon, mid-Wales, late on Saturday.

Conditions were predicted to worsen on Sunday, with up to 50mm of rain on high ground, and winds inland of up to 90kph.

"I have spoken to people...they are running short of food, they are running short of medication. Things are getting pretty desperate," Tony Cunningham, MP for Workington, told Sky News.

He said some people were having travel about 35 miles to get food and milk because of diversions.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the worst hit area, Cumbria, on Saturday to see the damage caused by record rainfall, and pledged one million pounds (NZ$2.27m) of aid.

Heavy rain during the past few days has left hundreds of people sheltering in rescue centres, hotels and with family and friends, with the expectation that some will not be able to move back into their homes for up to six months.

Water levels were receding on Sunday, but one bridge in particular, Calva Bridge in Workington, Cumbria, was described as extremely unstable and "could potentially collapse at any time."

Five bridges have already collapsed in the area, including one in Workington which resulted in the death of Police Constable Bill Barker on Friday.

He was directing motorists off the bridge when it collapsed, sweeping him down river.

The Environment Agency said 314mm of rain had fallen within 24 hours in one area, a record for England. The Meteorological Office said the amount of rain expected for all of November had fallen in one day.

Britain has been hit by severe flooding in recent years, raising questions about the impact of global warming.

Last year, Britain saw it wettest summer since records began in 1914 while floods in 2007 affected 55,000 homes and businesses and left an insurance bill of around three billion pounds.