Residents braced for more flooding towards end of the week

Flooding is set to devastate northern parts of the country still waterlogged after heavy rainfall over Christmas as more bad weather arrives at the end of the week.

Renewed rainfall in Cumbria on Tuesday has seen the county hit by flooding for the second time in as many months and the area is expected to suffer more in the coming days.

A risk of flooding in York, where the city centre saw unprecedented floods on Boxing Day, meant the Foss Barrier was put into operation on Wednesday but the River Ouse is unlikely to hit the same heights as in December.

The Environment Agency has issued flood warnings in Cumbria and Yorkshire as well as in Dorset and Wales and 82 amber alerts are in place all over the country.

Neil Davies, national flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: "More rain today and a wet end to the week means that communities in the north and south west should remain alert to the risk of flooding.

"Teams from the Environment Agency have been out preparing for more wet weather as we continue to support communities as they recover from the severe floods over Christmas after the wettest month on record."

Walkers on coastal paths and promenades were also warned to be aware of large waves and spray.

Demountable flood barriers are being put in place at Shrewsbury on the River Severn and residents along the Wye are also being being warned about potential floods.

In Scotland, more than 600 people have already been evacuated from their homes in the Borders over renewed flooding fears.

Schools had to be closed and a bus driver was rescued from flood waters near Hawick as the tail end of the US Storm Jonas continued to sweep in from the Atlantic.

Snow and ice are also expected to follow the heavy downpours as rain on the roads as the temperature may drop below zero before rebounding at the end of the week.