By IRNA
London : Britain's emergency services Saturday were struggling to cope with a series of flash floods caused by torrential rain with severe warnings still in place at 16 locations across the country.
The worst affected was in the English midlands, where hundreds of travelers were left stranded overnight after being forced to abandon their cars on the M5 motorway.
Air force helicopters were used to rescue 60 people in Sedgeberrow, Worcestershire, while thousands with flooded homes were forced to spend the night in emergency centres.
The rainfalls were described in southern England as the heaviest in living memory, with some places reported to have suffered from up to two months rainfall in less than 24 hours.
London was among areas hit after escaping the worst of the recent downpours that caused chaos especially in northern England in June's unusual monsoon conditions.
Over 140 flights were reported to have been cancelled at London's Heathrow airport on Friday. Many rail services were also cancelled, while road closures prevented replacement bus services.
The torrential rain was expected to move back up north Saturday but forecasters did not rule out the risk of further downpours in the south. One of the main concern was the possibility of rivers flooding.
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