UK weather: Forecasters warn of MONTH of rainfall in just a DAY

UK weather: Forecasters warn of MONTH of rainfall in just a DAY

• Met Office says April could be 'wettest on record' as the Environment Agency puts 42 flood alerts in place
  
• But drought could 'last till Christmas' as land is too dry to soak up the rain
• The Environment Agency warns combination of dry land and heavy rain could cause more flash flooding
  
• 60mph winds set to hit parts of the country today with downpours to continue into next week
  
• Dramatic scenes as scaffolding topples, a tree crushes a passing police van and monster waves hammer the coast
  
• Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, braced to relive disastrous flood of summer 2007
• Thousands of homes left without electricity after powerful gusts down power lines
  

By Eleanor Harding, Valerie Elliott and Lyle Brennan

PUBLISHED: 03:30 EST, 28 April 2012 | UPDATED: 11:22 EST, 29 April 2012

Fierce storms wreaked destruction in many parts of Britain last night, leaving roads and railways blocked by debris as forecasters warned 60mph winds will hit coastal areas today.

In London a car was crushed under a falling tree, while a main road was closed after a large section of scaffolding collapsed across a junction.

And, following last night's violent storms, some areas were set to get a month's worth of rain in just one day today - making it the wettest day of the year so far.

Two inches of rain are expected to fall in many places along with high winds and potential flash flooding, meaning this month’s rain will beat the record for the wettest April â€" currently 120.3mm (4.7in) in 2000.

Collapse: A police officer guards the site where a large section of scaffolding clattered to the ground in strong winds at Notting Hill Gate, west London

Fierce winds: A workman passes the tangle of scaffolding poles after they came down at about 3am this morning. A main road had to be closed at the junction where builders are working on a new Jamie Oliver restaurant

Freak accident: Part of a tree crashed through the roof of this police van as it travelled through Odiham, Hampshire. Local sources reported a police officer was seriously injured

Crushed: Last night's stormy weather caused a tree to collapse on top of a parked car in Dulwich, south London

The Environment Agency put out 42 flood alerts and 13 flood warnings.

The rain will sweep across most of England and South Wales before spreading north, with Scotland and Northern Ireland getting rain by night.

And there will be no respite next week from the downpours as another band of rain looks set to hit the country on Tuesday. Not that the drought police appear to be moved.

Astonishingly they said that the situation has worsened in the past week because the driving rain has simply been soaked up by the parched soil.

Polly Chancellor, national drought co-ordinator at the Environment Agency, said: ‘At the moment most of the rain is not reaching down far enough to top up groundwater, which is what we really need to make a difference to the drought.’

And more misery is set to come as experts warn of yet more rain, hail, thunder and lightning today, with 13 flood warnings in place for the North East, and 42 less serious flood alerts across the Midlands, North East, South East, South West and Wales.

In west London, a large section of scaffolding was left splayed across a main road junction after heavy winds battered the site of a future Jamie Oliver restaurant. Nobody was hurt when the structure, on Notting Hill Gate, clattered to the ground at about 3am this morning.

Also in the capital, in the southern area of Dulwich, a tree was blown over on to a parked car, caving in its roof.

Another fallen tree, this time in Odiham, Hampshire, left a police officer in hospital after it crashed through the roof of his British Transport Police van as he drove past at about 10.30am today. The driver was alone in the vehicle and, according to the Hampshire Chronicle, his injuries are serious but not life-threatening.

And in flood-prone Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, the Environment Agency has set up an incident room as heavy rain continues to cause the River Severn to rise to worryingly high levels.

The town was one of the worst hit places in the UK during the disastrous flooding of July 2007 and now it is again on full alert.

In the unprecedented summer flood the town became stranded by flooding from the Severn and Avon, while water supplies to thousands of homes were cut off because the nearby pumping station was also inundated by floodwater.

Police in Essex said part of the A12 near Chelmsford had been closed amid concerns that two crashes this morning were due to flooding.

Troubled waters: The harbour lighthouse at Seaham, County Durham, is engulfed as towering waves explode against the sea wall this morning, driven by gale force winds off the North Sea as a storm sweeps across Britain

Making the most of it: As ferocious winds close in on Britain's shores, this kite surfer takes advantage of extreme weather on Tynemouth Beach, Tyne and Wear

A month later: In late March (left) people were able to enjoy the warm weather on the parched banks of Hodge Beck river, near Kirkbymoorside in North Yorkshire. But today (right) the same spot was submerged, with water gushing over the road

Frightening: This was the scene after storm-force winds ripped the roof off a block of flats in Bridgend, south Wales, today. Around 25 sq ft of felt and plastic was torn from the building, while terrified residents sheltered inside at 10am. Nobody was injured in the incident

In the first, just before 4am, a Honda CRV and a silver BMW were involved in a smash that meant the southbound carriageway had to be closed for several hours, while in the second, just after 8am, a grey Peugeot 307 lost control and smashed into the central reservation. Nobody was injured in either crash.

Officers reported a layer of standing water on the carriageway, thought to have spilled on to the road from adjoining fields. The Highways Agency hoped to reopen the road later this afternoon.

It was a similar story in Gloucester, where in the past 24 hours police received more than 60 reports of localised flooding and fallen trees, one of which brought traffic to a standstill after it partially blocked the A417 near Cirencester.

In neighbouring Wiltshire, 1,000 homes in Devizes, Calne, and Potterne were left without electricity after power cables were downed in high winds. 

Southern Electric said about 3,000 homes in Watlington and in Chipping Nor ton, in Oxfordshire, were also without power.

Power outages also spread to Wales, where a total of 5,000 homes were blacked out as more than 50 faults hit electricity supplies in Swansea and Cardiff. Western Power said they were dealing with more than 10 times the usual volume of problems.

Extreme conditions in the south of the country meant high-sided vehicles were barred from crossing the Severn Bridge.

Also in south Wales, Bridgend residents hoping for a lazy Sunday lie-in were forced to think again when high winds tore part of the roof off a block of flats this morning. Emergency crews were called to the scene, though nobody was hurt.

Witness Warren Tribe, 44, who lives in the block, said: 'It was lucky no-one was killed.

'The block was getting battered by the wind and then I heard this massive roar. The roof flew off and went about 150 metres.

'There was debris flying around like frisbees. A lot of people were panicking and I tried to stay as calm as possible.

'I think if we get more rain now then the whole roof could collapse.'

Bracing: Two people run for shelter on Brighton seafront as many of Britain's coastal areas endure high winds and rain

Dirty work: Competitors in the Maldon Mud Race struggle along the sodden banks of the Blackwater River at low tide in Maldon, Essex

Bogged down: A runner gets stuck in the mud at the Maldon Mud Race as her rivals splash on by

Meanwhile the Environment Agency warned of localised river flooding across the South West, where there are 13 flood alerts in place.

The Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service had a busy night across both counties, with numerous calls reporting trees and electrical cables either down in the road or affecting homes.

In Torre, Torquay, the fire service came to the rescue of one woman who reported water gushing through her ceiling.

High winds across Devon have resulted in treacherous driving conditions with surface water and a large roadsign, among other debris, blown on to the carriageway of the A38 at Chudleigh Knighton.

Further east, at Seaton, residents feared a second night of gales would destroy more of their beach huts along the seafront.

Last week half of the 50 privately owned timber huts were destroyed or badly damaged by 40ft waves crashing in along the seafront.

Owners tried to salvage possessions that were not smashed by the force of nature as council workers cleared the shattered huts.

Residents said they had not seen anything like that for many years as the huge waves lifted the pebble beach on to the promenade.

Dorset has also been battered by high winds, with lashing rain across the county affecting the already waterlogged flood plains.

And it's not just people being affected by the bad weather, with Dartmoor Zoo closing today 'for the reasons of safety and animal welfare'.

A spokesman added its 'animals will be in their houses for the duration' of the bad weather.

Act of God: Choristers' gowns billow as they battle through extreme weather on their way to Matins at Peterborough Cathedral in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire this morning

Having a blast: A family day out becomes a battle against the elements as these four struggle to stay upright at Porthcawl, South Wales

The wet weather shows no sign of relenting and more downpours are expected to continue well into next week.

England and Wales has already had the wettest week since last December as the South East received 42mm (1.7in) of rain this week while the South West had 55mm (2.2in). 

The South West has now had 166 per cent of the average rainfall for April but another band of rain on Tuesday will give a damp start to May.

And despite being flooded twice in the space of a week, York is still officially suffering a drought, as the ground remains to hard to soak up any of the water.

Torrential rain has seen rivers that were dry last month flowing freely. The River Pang did not even reach road level at Bucklebury Ford in Berkshire last month, but has now risen to around 7in deep.

But even the recent downpours are unlikely to avert a drought across parts of the country because the ground is too hard to soak up any water.

A swathe of England taking in the South West, the Midlands, the South East, East Anglia and south-east Yorkshire are in drought, and hosepipe bans introduced by seven water companies remain in place.

The recent downpours have been good, however, for supermarkets with dampened shoppers buying more comfort food

Sales of wellies and umbrellas have soared in the face of the deluge, according to Tesco, which has also recorded increases in shoppers buying food normally associated with winter, such as fresh soup and hot chocolate.

Asda said it had seen sales of umbrellas and ponchos up by more than 1,000 per cent.

• The Environment Agency's incident room in Tewkesbury opened yesterday and will run 24 hours a day. Residents near the rivers Severn, Avon and Teme can call Floodline on 0845 988 1188 or see www.environment-agency.gov.uk for updates and advice
  

Drenched: Darren Powell from Birmingham cycles through a swelling ford in the Sarehole Mill area today

York flooded twice in seven days: Despite a drought warning being in force, York city centre is underwater again after the River Ouse burst its banks along the city's riverside

Ducks swim past bike racks in York city centre after flood water after the river Ouse

Leap of faith: Athletic pedestrians in Cambridge attempt to leap over huge puddles after having rain caused flash flooding in some areas

Risky business: A BMW driver attempts to cross a flooded road in Staindrop, County Durham

Meanwhile on the continent, a balmy 32 degrees

As Britons gritted their teeth against relentless downpours and hair-raising storms, parts of mainland Europe enjoyed distinctly summery conditions.

Sunbathers in Vienna, Austria, pulled on the swimwear and soaked up the rays at this outdoor pool as temperatures in the region soared to a high of 32 degrees Celsius.

Time to leave the country? Sun worshipers lounge around at the public swimming pool Schoenbrunner Bad in Vienna as Austria enjoys a weekend heatwave

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