Emergency services rescue victims of England floods

Guardian (UK): Dozens of people were rescued by emergency services today after extensive flash flooding hit parts of England. The south and south-west of England were worst affected with fire services reporting scores of calls overnight. Floodwaters in some areas were nearly one metre deep, fire services said. Dual carriageways in Devon and Somerset were under up to 50cm of water. Trees have fallen and some people were trapped in their cars.

Officers in Somerset and Devon answered 300 calls, including 20 rescues from cars and two dozen reports of minor house flooding, said Norman Evans of Devon fire and rescue.

He said conditions on the roads were "atrocious" and urged motorists to travel only if the trip was absolutely necessary. A number of major roads, including the M4, A30 and A303 were affected. Train services between London and Bristol were experiencing severe delays while trains from London to Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance were cancelled….