Man dead in floods as rain goes north

Police said the man was found near a submerged vehicle in Denbighshire, north Wales.

According to the Environment Agency there were 30 areas at risk of flooding, including parts of the north of England, the Midlands and Wales.

North Wales Police said the man’s body was recovered near Llandrillo, Corwen.

They believe the man – who was local to the area – was driving the vehicle, but they did not know what happened.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service were alerted to the vehicle on the B4401 at around 10.30am.

Superintendent Jeremy Vaughan, from North Wales Police, said: “This is a tragic incident and the police are liaising with the man’s family.

“It emphasises the need to be extremely cautious in such adverse weather and members of the public are advised to check weather conditions before making a journey.”

Environment Agency teams were working to prevent flooding in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

A spokesman for the agency said: “The River Severn tends to peak after rain and there is a risk of flooding.

“The band of rain is moving north so we are keeping a close eye on the Midlands, Lancashire, Cumbria and the Lake District.”

The spokesman said last night that Environment Agency teams in Sale, Greater Manchester diverted water from the River Mersey to a flood defence reservoir which saved more than 2,000 homes from flooding.

A number of roads were closed across Wales yesterday, including parts of the A483, A55 and the A470, due to rising water on the roads and high winds.

A handful of people were moved from their homes in Wales and the north west of England amid the downpours.

Six properties in Ormskirk, Lancashire, were reported to have been flooded.