Britain braced for more rain

Britain was braced for more heavy rain today as the number of flood warnings in England and Wales rose to 62.

A deluge was forecast for several regions, with up to 20mm of rain possible in the west and a further 25-50mm likely in areas with high ground.

But the worst affected area was again expected to be Wales, where there were four severe flood warnings and 28 other alerts in force.

Meanwhile, the country has also been experiencing unusually high temperatures. The record temperature-for 3 February, which had stood at 16.1C (61F), was broken yesterday in North Yorkshire, with forecasters predicting they could rise as high as 17C in London today.

The heaviest rain was in Capel Curig, Gwynedd, North Wales, where 167mm - around 6.5in - fell in the 24 hours up to 6pm yesterday. This was about four times the average monthly rainfall for London in February, PA Weather forecaster Paul Knightley said. Since 31 January, Capel Curig has had 426mm of rain - half of London's average yearly rainfall.

Three motorists were rescued yesterday after they were trapped in a car transporter in severe floods in Llanrwst, near Conwy.

They climbed on top of the vehicle and were airlifted to safety by a helicopter from nearby RAF Valley.

Figures provided by climatologist Philip Eden showed that night temperatures were also unusually high. Parts of southern England had a minimum temperature of

12.5C (54F).