The River Arun has burst its banks in West Sussex. Local emergency services prepare for rescue operations in the seaside town of Littlehampton.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service warned people in Littlehampton of severe flooding in the wake of Storm Kathleen.
"Our crews are supporting rescue operations in Littlehampton near Ferry Road and Rope Walk, where the River Arun has burst its banks, causing severe flooding," the emergency service said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Residents should remain in their properties if it is safe to do so and get as high into their homes as possible."
⚠️Our crews are supporting rescue operations in Littlehampton, near Ferry Road and Rope Walk, where the River Arun has burst its banks, causing severe flooding. Residents should remain in their properties if it is safe to do so and get as high up in their homes as possible 1/2⚠️
- West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (@WestSussexFire) April 9, 2024
They said anyone requiring life-saving interventions should call 999 to contact the Fire and Rescue Service or the Coast Guard.
"Please avoid the area and stay at home where possible so our crews can work safely," the emergency service said.
They also had to deal with a "serious flooding incident" at the Medmerry holiday park, between Bracklesham and Selsey.
They urged everyone in the area around the holiday park to move to higher ground if they can leave their homes.
South East Coast Ambulance confirmed that a "number of resources" have been sent to assist in the evacuation and rescue of a number of people from the site.
"We assessed and assessed a number of people at a nearby facility. One person who showed signs of hypothermia was taken to hospital," they said on X.
The emergency update comes as heavy rain and strong winds continue to lash parts of southern England, west Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland in the coming days, forecasters say.
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In Hampshire, flooding is affecting the railway line at Lymington Pier.
Trains may be cancelled, delayed or revised due to this issue, South Western Railway said, adding that replacement buses have been requested between Lymington Pier and Brockenhurst.
The disruption is expected to last until 10am.
⚠️Flooding is affecting the railway line at Lymington Pier.
Trains may be cancelled, delayed or rescheduled due to this issue.
More information: https://t.co/imkvCCexC2
- SWR Help (@SW_Help) April 9, 2024
On the Great Western Railway, flooding between Clifton Down and Severn Beach means all lines are closed as water rises above the tracks on the branch line.
Trains to and from Severn Beach only run between Taunton/Weston-super-Mare/Bristol Temple Meads and Clifton Down.
This is expected to last until approximately 10am.
In Pembrokeshire, Dyfed-Powys Police have urged motorists to avoid the area around the A487 at Penycwm after it was closed due to surface water.
The Met Office has issued six separate yellow weather warnings from Monday to Wednesday morning.
Winds in south-west England, including Cornwall and parts of Devon, could reach speeds of 60 to 60 miles per hour along some parts of the coast.
The forecaster warned that the strong gusts, which would last until 6am on Tuesday, had a "slim chance" of causing power outages and damaging buildings.
A yellow weather warning for the south coast of England, including Southampton and Brighton, says winds are expected to reach 45-90km/h, peaking at 100km/h in some areas before easing from 9am on Tuesday.
Another yellow weather warning has been issued for the west coast of Wales between 1am and 3pm on Tuesday, when "a period of strong winds" will hit the region with gusts of up to 65mph overnight.
In Scotland, 20 to 40mm of rainfall is expected between 1am and 6pm on Tuesday, while some areas could see as much as 50 to 60mm.
Areas affected include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Aberdeen.
Further rainfall is forecast in the west of Scotland between 9am and 6pm on Wednesday. This can lead to flooding. Rainfall is expected to reach 15 to 25 mm in most places and 40 to 50 mm on high ground.
Heavy rainfall of between 25 and 30mm is expected to occur in eastern parts of Northern Ireland between 10pm on Monday and 6am on Tuesday.
The weather service warned that rain and wind could cause disruptions to rail and road transport across the country as driving conditions deteriorate due to slippery road surfaces and limited visibility.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said that while these amounts of rainfall would not in themselves be a "major cause for concern", they will fall on "already saturated ground", increasing the risk of flooding.
Preliminary statistics from the Met Office show that England has seen record amounts of rain in the 18 months to March. Mr Partridge said the last three months in particular had made for a "very wet start to the year".
In April, Storm Kathleen caused widespread travel disruptions as hundreds of flood warnings were issued and power was lost to thousands of homes.
The Environment Agency had 213 flood warnings and 100 flood warnings in England on Monday evening. National Resources Wales has issued 13 flood warnings and 22 warnings.
Mr Partridge added: "We will continue to experience very unsettled weather as we move into spring, which is usually when we see things calm down a bit.
"We continue to have one low pressure area after another, which is mainly due to the fact that the jet stream is a little further south than normal at this time of year."
He said it would be a "stormy day" in England on Tuesday, but there would not be "huge amounts of rain".
He added: "In many ways the threshold for rain warnings is lower than would normally be the case just because groundwater levels are so high at the moment."
The second half of the week should be a "little drier" with warm temperatures in southern Britain before returning to normal over the weekend, he added.
He said: "It's actually quite warm conditions for the time of year - we could see 19 to 20 degrees Celsius across eastern and south-eastern parts of Britain on Thursday and Friday.
"But the north will always remain quite unsettled."
