Flood fears are easing across England and Wales as showers replace heavy rain and river levels settle.

The Environment Agency said it expected rivers to stabilise but was keeping a "very watchful eye" on the north east of England and the River Ouse.

The BBC Weather Centre said persistent rain would give way to showers later.

Flash floods have hit Yorkshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. There are still more than 80 flood warnings in place.

The north east of England is worst affected with seven severe flood warnings.

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The BBC Weather Centre said between 5mm and 10mm of rainfall was expected in north east England on Sunday, compared with between 30mm and 40mm of rainfall on Saturday.

Northumberland has been particularly badly affected with an estimated 1,000 properties flooded in Morpeth.

Hundreds of people have had to spend the night in temporary accommodation.

Paul Hedley, of Northumberland Fire and Rescue, said Morpeth was a "scene of utter devastation" but "by and large, the evacuation and rescue attempts all worked very well".

Northumberland County Council member Andrew Tebbutt said Morpeth was "virtually cut off" from the outside world by the rising water but the situation had "eased considerably" overnight.

BBC correspondent Chris Buckler said restoring houses in a clean-up operation would take months.

Five people have died in accidents related to the heavy rains.

Two people died in flash floods on Friday. A 27-year-old man died in a mudslide on a building site in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

In Wales, a 17-year-old girl from Thamesmead, south London, died while on holiday in Powys when the 4X4 car she was travelling in overturned into a river.

A couple were killed when their car crashed into a tree in heavy rain in Plymouth, Devon, on Friday.

It has also emerged that a 42-year-old Sheffield man was killed when the Kawasaki motorbike he was riding hit a tree branch on the A66 on Friday afternoon.

'Frightful'

Morpeth was inundated after the River Wansbeck burst its banks.

At least 110 people were rescued by boat in the area between 1600 BST and midnight and minibuses were also used to ferry people to higher ground. Many were elderly residents living in bungalows.

Police said hundreds of people sheltered on Saturday night at King Edward VI School after being evacuated from their homes, while a further 50 were at County Hall.

Mr Tebutt told the BBC about the rescue effort.

"It's frightful, it's awful, but we've been working hard and we've actually got some 400 people who we've evacuated," he said.

An RAF helicopter was called to help three stranded police officers on Saturday night.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said the officers had originally been called to help some motorists cut off by a landslide 10 miles west of Alnwick.

The members of the public were taken to safety, but the officers were trapped by another landslide at about 2100 BST. They were later led to safety unharmed at about 2330 BST by Northumberland Search and Rescue.

The Environment Agency said the wet summer had not helped the situation, as it meant soils in many places were already saturated and unable to absorb any more rainwater.

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has five flood warnings in place, for Jed Water, Gala Water, Blackadder Water and Langton Burn, Teviot Water and the River Tyne at Haddington.

Baby trapped

In the Pickering area of North Yorkshire, several properties and roads have been flooded after the local beck burst its banks.

Fire crews have been on hand to pump out houses and residents have been told to move possessions upstairs.

In the village of Kirkley Mill, Northumberland, an RSPCA emergency team, called out to help some horses, found themselves rescuing a baby trapped in a car.

Many sporting and cultural events also had to be cancelled due to the wet weather.

Gloucestershire's biggest agricultural event, the Moreton-in-Marsh show, was abandoned, as were race meetings at Haydock Park, Merseyside; Stratford, Warwickshire; Gosforth Park, Newcastle, and Worcester, Worcestershire.

People have been advised to keep updated through news outlets and to call the Floodline on 0845 988 1188.

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(BBC)

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