Floods ease at last ...but snow’s next

A man and baby flooded out in Shrewsbury. Right, a rescuer carries a dog to safety in Warrington

FLOODED families may get a respite this weekend with heavy rainfall predicted to ease until Tuesday next week.

But as Storm Christoph moves away, the Met Office is forecasting a spell of freezing temperatures with sleet and snow.

Temperatures are set to plunge to -7C in some parts of England and -10C in Scotland.

It is expected to be Tuesday before heavy rain returns.

Yesterday there were still 160 flood warnings and 158 less serious alerts in England, seven flood warnings and 19 alerts in Wales, and four alerts in Scotland.

A trail of devastation from Storm Christoph left around 400 homes flooded.

Environment Agency bosses said they were closely monitoring river levels – particularly across Yorkshire. In Cheshire around 40 residents were helped out of a care home in Northwich by fire crews with dinghies yesterday as most of the town centre lay under water. Earlier, fire crews saved 21 people by boat from a nursing home in Warrington.

In nearby Farndon a Good Morning Britain reporter told how he heard cries for help from a 68-year-old man trapped in his car for hours in floodwater. ITV’s Nick Dixon said: “He was really quite distressed and very cold. The fire brigade have managed to get a boat and have rescued him. Thankfully he is doing OK.” Jo McLellan of the Met Office warned there may be significant snowfall across much of England tomorrow.