By KUNA
London : Communities hit by last summer’s flooding are facing the prospect of more chaos Tuesday after forecasters predicted a week of severe weather.
Rain began lashing parts of western England overnight, where fears of a repeat of last July’s crisis are growing, with further wet weather expected later in the week, the weathermen said.
They predicted up to 40mm of rain could fall in some parts of the south-west of England later today.
By rush hour this morning much of England and Wales was hit by heavy rain. Gusts of up to 70 miles-per-hour were also predicted on the south coast of England.
Many residents hit by last year’s floods are sitting tight and regularly checking the weather forecasts.
Sandbags have been placed in front of homes in parts of England this morning.
The UK Environment Agency has put flood warnings in place for the River Severn in the area.
Meanwhile, emergency services and councils are on stand-by and getting prepared for the worst.
Flood warnings have remained in place since last Friday, when flash flooding brought major roads and railways to a standstill in parts of Wales and south-west England.
More than 30mm of rain fell on January 11 and travellers were delayed by motorway closures and train diversions on the Great Western railway due to flooding.
Last July, chaos hit western and central England after the worst flooding recorded since 1947.
More than 4,000 homes and 500 businesses were affected by flooding.