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Snow hits part of the UK as flood-stricken Yorkshire is braced for more rain

Snow has fallen across parts of England and Wales as the Met Office issued six severe weather warnings across the country.

Pictures of Dartmoor showed it blanketed in snow as temperatures plummeted across parts of Devon and South Wales.

As the Met Office issued several alerts for ice, rain and snow across the nation, the Environment Agency (EA) warned that Britain’s flooding was far from over.

Residents in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire were warned to stay vigilant with more rain forecast in flood-hit areas on Thursday.

Heavy snow makes roads on Exmoor impassable on Thursday. (SWNS)
Heavy snow makes roads on Exmoor impassable on Thursday. (SWNS)
Pictures posted on social media showed east Gloucestershire, parts of Wiltshire, Bath and South Wales covered in a few centimetres of snow on Thursday morning. (SWNS)
Pictures posted on social media showed east Gloucestershire, parts of Wiltshire, Bath and South Wales covered in a few centimetres of snow on Thursday morning. (SWNS)

The agency’s flood duty manager Kate Marks said: “Heavy rain is expected on Thursday, Friday and over the weekend which could lead to further flooding for communities in South Yorkshire around the Lower River Don.

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“Parts of Lincolnshire and the Midlands could also be affected by rain falling on already saturated ground over Thursday and Friday, as well as other parts of England as rain crosses the country from west to east.

“It’s really important that impacted communities remain vigilant and take steps to prepare for flooding by checking their flood risk regularly and making plans to stay safe.”

The Met Office issued several alerts for snow across the South East and South West of England, South Wales and the West Midlands until 10am. (SWNS)
The Met Office issued several alerts for snow across the South East and South West of England, South Wales and the West Midlands until 10am. (SWNS)
The flood water at Fishlake, in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, as parts of England endured a month's worth of rain in 24 hours, with scores of people rescued or forced to evacuate their homes.
Parts of England have been hit by flooding, with scores of people rescued or forced to evacuate their homes (Picture: PA)
Rescuers pull a boat through floodwater in Fishlake, Doncaster. The Prime Minister is set to chair a meeting of the Government's emergency committee after severe flooding in parts of the country, where rain is finally expected to ease this afternoon.
Things could get worse for flood-stricken areas, with more rain forecast on Thursday (Picture: PA)

Six yellow weather warnings are in place for:-

  • snow in parts of south Wales and south-west England between Bath, Oxford and Worcester

  • rain further to the south-east in England, including London, and in the East Midlands

  • ice along eastern coastal regions of Scotland from Kelso north to Elgin.

A total of 34 flood warnings also remain in effect across Britain, along with 75 flood alerts.

Met Office meteorologist Luke Miall said the worst of the winter weather had moved through the south-west but would push north and affect already-flooded areas.

The heaviest of the rain is expected to hit areas around Nottingham, Sheffield and Doncaster from 9am on Thursday and continue throughout the day.

Forecasters are predicting between 35mm and 45mm of rainfall, and 33 flood warnings are in place across the region after the Met Office warned there could be a risk to life “because these areas are very waterlogged already”.

RETRANSMISSION, adding name of Environment Agency official. Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks with Lt Col Tom Robinson from the Light Dragoons and Oliver Harmar, Yorkshire Area Director of the Environment Agency, during a visit to Stainforth, Doncaster, to see the recent flooding.
Boris Johnson visited flooded areas and pledged to help (Picture: PA)

The Environment Agency said 300 staff are working around the clock in various parts of the country, deploying pumps to disperse water through five of the worst-hit locations.

It said since flooding began last Thursday, around 14,400 properties had been protected by flood defences, including 5,000 in South Yorkshire.

The Government’s response to the flooding has spilled over into an election issue, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson facing heavy criticism during a visit to affected areas in South Yorkshire on Wednesday.

The PM later paid a visit to the badly-hit village of Fishlake, where he told reporters: “We will get people back on their feet.”

On Tuesday, Mr Johnson announced that relief funding would be made available for those affected by the floods and said funding for local councils to help affected households would be made available to the tune of £500 per eligible household.

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