London - Insurance companies are bracing themselves for claims running into tens of millions of pounds following the severe weekend weather that left at least 11 people dead and a trail of damage and destruction across large parts of Wales and the West of England.
Floodwaters on many rivers were beginning to recede yesterday after some of the worst flooding seen in these parts of the country for more than 20 years. But more than 1,000 Environment Agency staff remained on full alert at monitoring centres across the region as forecasters predict a spate of severe weather conditions over the next few days.
Eight people died in road accidents caused by the treacherous conditions while two canoeists lost their lives in separate incidents.