Image copyright PA Media Flooded communities in England and Wales are expecting more heavy rain, adding to fears flood defences might not withstand rising river levels.
About 1,400 homes and businesses have been affected by the floods in the wake of downpours brought by Storm Dennis.
The Rivers Wye and Severn reached their highest ever levels, with people evacuated from nearby at-risk areas.
The Met Office has issued three yellow weather warnings for rain for Wales and Yorkshire, which begin on Wednesday.
Around the UK, more than 150 flood warnings remain in place, including six severe – or “danger to life” – warnings.
Among the worst affected areas are south Wales, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire, where major incidents have been declared.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 599 properties had been flooded across England, the Environment Agency said.
And in Wales, around 800 homes have been directly affected by the floods, said First Minister Mark Drakeford.
The EA said the levels of the Wye and Severn would remain high into the weekend.
“We expect further disruptive weather into tomorrow and Thursday, bringing a significant flood risk to the West Midlands, and there are flood warnings in place across much of England,” said the EA’s John Curtin.
Homes along the River Severn in the towns of Ironbridge and Bridgnorth in Shropshire were evacuated on Tuesday as river levels continued to rise.
There were concerns that flood barriers could be breached in Bewdley and also Upton upon Severn, where two local children baked biscuits and took them out to “everyone who’s helping”.
Currently, there are six severe flood warnings in England, covering the rivers Lugg, Severn, and Wye.
In Wales, there are five flood warnings covering the rivers Wye and Monnow – although none are severe.
Canoeing to shops
The River Wye at Monmouth, in Wales, reached its highest recorded level on Tuesday.
In the town, mountain rescue teams evacuated an elderly man from his home by breaking down his back door with a sledgehammer and taking him to safety on a raft.
Meanwhile, on the A466 people canoed to a nearby Lidl supermarket to pick up food supplies.
Welsh Water has asked people in Monmouth to reduce their water usage after a treatment works in Monmouthshire flooded.
The Met Office warnings cover south Wales, north-west Wales and north-west England from 18:00 GMT on Wednesday until 15:00 on Thursday.
Another warning covers Yorkshire from 12:00 on Friday until 06:00 on Saturday.
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The EA said more than 6km of temporary flood barriers have been put up across England and flood defences have protected nearly 25,000 properties.
Chris Wreghitt, who lives in the village of Powick, in Worcestershire, says he has been flooded before but not this badly and not since flood defences were built.
He told BBC News: “We were told when they built that flood defence that if it had been there before 2007, we wouldn’t have been flooded.
“Although there have been a couple of near misses over the past few years, we were still confident that we wouldn’t get flooded again.”
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People in flood-hit households can apply for financial hardship payments of up to £500 for short-term relief, the government announced on Tuesday.
Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick said the funding would “help people in the worst-hit areas to recover and get back on their feet”.
The government support fund also includes up to £5,000 for affected residents and business owners to help make their properties more resilient to future floods.
On Sunday, Yvonne Booth, 55, was killed by the floods after being swept into floodwater near a bridge which crosses the River Teme, near Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire.
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For more information, check the BBC Weather website and your BBC Local Radio station for regular updates.
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