Village evacuated in flood fear

20 December 2012 Last updated at 13:31 GMT Chrissy Sturt: "Situation is really deteriorating very rapidly"

Residents are due to be evacuated from their homes after cracks appeared in a river flood wall following heavy rain.

The Environment Agency said if the wall collapsed it would "rapidly inundate" the village of Wallington in Hampshire.

Elsewhere, several people have been rescued from their vehicles and trains have been cancelled after rain swept across England.

The Met Office expects more rain and the Environment Agency has issued 189 flood alerts and 30 flood warnings.

'Very lucky' Two people were rescued from a car in Brockenhurst

A father and daughter were rescued by a police community support officer from their car, which became almost submerged in a ford on the Sway to Brockenhurst Road in Hampshire.

PCSO Jim Hordle said: "I'd been on routine patrol and came across the ford and could see a Porsche in there and two occupants trapped in the vehicle.

"We managed to get them out before the car went under completely.

"They are very lucky."

A number of other vehicles got stuck in flood water, with Hampshire, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall fire services all called to incidents.

Fire crews have also rescued a driver trapped by flood water in Bude, Cornwall, and Hampshire firefighters have rescued six people stuck in vehicles in Fareham, Brockenhurst, Ringwood, Wallington and Waterlooville.

Flood defences have been put up in Worcestershire with river levels rising on the Severn and Avon.

A flood warning has been issued for Cogenhoe Mill caravan park near Northampton and four flood alerts have been issued across the county.

More than 100 Cornwall Council staff were out overnight helping residents whose properties had been flooded.

David Owens, who has been directing operations on behalf of the council, said: "It's been very busy, not as bad as 24 and 25 November, but still pretty unpleasant.

'Busy up to Christmas'

"Looking at the weather forecast, we are going to be busy up to Christmas.

"The problem is that the water has nowhere to go because the ground is so saturated."

Trains between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall and between Bournemouth and Brockenhurst in Hampshire are affected.

The Cornish villages of Polbathic, Altarnun, St Keverne, Gunwalloe, Gorran Haven and Mevagissey have also been flooded.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "Large swathes of southern and south-western England, south-east Wales and the Midlands are being warned to prepare for flooding.

"Successive bands of heavy rain are moving across England and Wales, and with the ground already saturated, this is likely to lead to property flooding from rivers and surface water as well as disruption to road and rail networks.

"Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and Northamptonshire are particularly at risk."

A driver was recued from this car near Bude

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue manager Alex Hanson said: "It is impossible for motorists to tell how deep water is or the condition of the ground beneath.

"There is a significant risk to life if motorists become stranded. We recommend that people do not make non-essential journeys... if they live in areas prone to flooding."

In other flooding incidents: A29 is shut due to flooding at Slindon and BersteadA 24 is shut southbound at FindonBuses replace trains between Fareham and EastleighTwo cars stranded by flooding on the B3302 at Fraddam between Hayle and HelstonDeep flood water on roads including the A399 Ilfracombe to WatermouthA landslip has partly blocked the A386 near BidefordIn Ryde on the Isle of Wight firefighters are pumping away water from the EsplanadeThe Lymington River at Brockenhurst has burst its banksThe road and rail network is disrupted by floods in HampshireThe B3269 near Lostwithiel is closedThe A341 in Wimborne Minster is closed in both directions at the Canford Magna junctionIn Dorset several vehicles are stuck in flash floods in Holt Road, Three Legged Cross, Canford Arena, Canford Magna

To access more information, from your mobile, visit the BBC Weather and BBC Travel News sites.

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