Britain battered by fierce storms

Men push a car out of the floodwaters in Hathern, central England, after a storm on Sunday.

Men push a car out of the floodwaters in Hathern, central England, after a storm on Sunday.

Published Nov 25, 2012

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London - Heavy rain and strong winds battered parts of Britain over the weekend, killing two people and flooding 800 homes, officials said on Sunday.

A 21-year-old woman died and two others were injured when a large spruce tree collapsed in Exeter, near the south-western coast, late on Saturday. The woman was in a small tent to shelter from the storm when the tree fell on it, police said. She later died at a hospital.

The rains caused the most serious problems in southern England. In nearby Cornwall, people had to briefly evacuate their homes as floodwaters and torrential rain battered villages.

In Cambridgeshire, a man was driving a car when it plunged into a swollen river in a flooded area. The man was pulled from the water, but he died on the way to the hospital.

Hundreds of highways and roads were closed due to the flooding, and several train services were cancelled.

Officials said the situation was stabilising in southern England, but weather forecasters said persistent rain would continue in the north of England and Scotland on Sunday.

Prime Minister David Cameron pledged that all flood victims would get the help they needed. - Sapa-AP

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