With the torrential rain expected to continue for eight more hours following the 24 hours of non-stop rain that flooded north-east England and north Wales, hundreds of families have been evacuated to avoid any possible tragedy.
Around 500 families have been forced to evacuate their homes in a small North Wales city after the River Elwy burst through flood defences after torrential rain and residents living in St Asaph, Denbighshire, were told to stay with friends or family, reported the Mirror.
[PHOTOS OF ENGLAND UNDER WATER]
The Denbighshire County Council has turned the St Asaph Leisure Centre into a shelter for the floods victims.
"Over recent hours, concerns have been growing about the levels of the River Elwy at St Asaph. The river has now overtopped the flood defences in the north end of the city," The Mirror quoted a spokesman for Denbighshire County Council as saying.
Police knocked the doors of the homes likely to be affected by the floods and were asked to evacuate.
"I had a knock at 12.30am to say there was an imminent flood, and then at 4.30am we were told to leave. When I left, within an hour the water had engulfed us. I put some personal possessions upstairs and made sure we took the children to safety. My sister-in-law on the other side of St Asaph has taken the kids in. I'm absolutely devastated. I don't have insurance. It doesn't bear thinking about at the minute. My kids are safe, we'll just have to plod on and sort it out one way or another," Father Vincent Jones told the Daily Mail.
The Environment Agency issued 276 flood warnings and 198 flood alerts across England and Wales, and the swollen rivers flooded the several places, killing at least three people and affecting over 800 families.
