London, Thanasis Gavos

Large areas have turned into lakes in various parts of England after several hours of intense rainfall on Thursday, which followed the also heavy rains of Storms Babette, Ciaran, Gerrit and Hank since November.

Significant problems were caused by overflow of the River Trent in Nottinghamshirebut also of the Thames canals in London.

In Hackney Wick, East London 50 people had to be removed from their homes by firefighters, while houses where mostly elderly people lived on the banks of the Trent were also evacuated.

Overall it is estimated that up to a thousand homes have been floodedwhile a ship anchored in the Thames and acting as a bar actually sank.

The problems in the country’s railway network are important for another day, with parts of the network flooded, tracks covered in mud and trees uprooted by the winds.

Major rail companies warn of ‘significant disruption’ of their programming and invite the traveling public to check for any cancellations and delays before coming to the stations.

Some schools in counties around London were also closed on Friday due to flooding.

Although this morning’s conditions have subsided, almost 650 warnings and alerts remain in place for further flooding as the ground cannot absorb any more water. In the last three days the amount of water in some places has exceeded 35 millimeters.

Weather forecasters predict improving weather conditions over the weekend.