Storm-swollen rivers surge in U.K., new alerts issued

LONDON—Residents in central England and Wales piled up sandbags, readied water pumps and hoped for the best Tuesday, as rivers peaked after a weekend storm brought up to 150 millimetres of rain to an already waterlogged region. Environment agencies in England and Wales on Tuesday declared eight severe flood warnings, meaning there was an immediate danger to life, for the rivers Severn, Wye and Lugg. Two others were lifted. About 150 less severe flood warnings were also in place.

In the Welsh town of Monmouth, the Wye reached a record level — more than seven metres. Residents of one flooded street used canoes to get to a nearby supermarket and rescue teams saved one man from his flooded home by raft.

Welsh Water asked residents to reduce their usage after a water treatment plant was flooded and lost power.

Storm Dennis — the second major storm of the winter — blew through the U.K. on Saturday and Sunday, bringing wind gusts of up to 145 k.p.h. and heavy rain that flooded roads, railways, homes and businesses. The storm killed three people in Britain, including a 55year-old woman who was swept away by floodwaters in the central English town of Tenbury.

The fierce weather also upended travel plans for thousands of British families trying to get away for the mid-winter school break. It turned rivers, including the Severn and the Wye, which normally meander through picturesque countryside, into raging torrents.

Dave Throup, a manager in the region for the Environment Agency, tweeted; “I’ve seen things today I would not have believed . ... This is not normal flooding, we are in uncharted territory.”