Fears of another autumn flood season for Britain were growing today as forecasters warned of further downpours after more than a month's rainfall fell in 48 hours in some parts of the country.
More than 120 flood alerts and warnings have been issued across the UK, including 92 in England, 21 in Scotland and eight in Wales - with more wet weather forecast this week amid fears of further torrential rain for Thursday.
The Environment Agency was today monitoring the situation closely with river levels rising, but a dry September has limited the damage caused by Storm Alex which brought horrendous conditions over the weekend.
Southern England bore the brunt of the most severe weather, with more than a dozen gardens in a street in Oxfordshire appearing to fill with raw sewage after drains overflowed during the heavy rainfall.
Residents of Campbell Road, Oxford, were met with floods 2ft (60cm) deep in their gardens yesterday. Several of which include sheds and home offices. Hugh Warwick told BBC News that the scene was a 'complete disaster'.
He said when he went to help his neighbour rescue things from his office they were faced with 'toilet wipes and goodness knows what else and it was above my knees', adding: 'It was heartbreaking.'
A van is stuck in flood water this afternoon after the Padbury brook burst its banks near Buckingham
In Oxfordshire more than a dozen gardens in a street apparently filled with raw sewage after drains overflowed yesterday
Residents of Campbell Road, Oxford, were met with floods 2ft (60cm) deep in their gardens yesterday after the heavy rain
Commuters walk across London Bridge in the rain this morning on a cold and wet start to the working week today
Commuters cross London Bridge in the rain this morning, with Tower Bridge in the background, as the wet weather continues
A van is stuck in flood water this afternoon after the Padbury brook burst its banks near Buckingham
Another resident affected said he was able to paddle his boat to his garden cabin. Thames Water said engineers were going to the scene following the 'sheer volume of water overwhelming the sewer system'.
The Met Office said 5in (127mm) of rain fell at Blackpitts Gate in Somerset in the 48 hours to midday yesterday, which was the highest in the country. The average for the whole of October is 4¼in (108mm).
Most areas endured heavy rain and windy conditions throughout Saturday and Sunday. Some homes in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, were flooded - and the River Coquet burst its banks in Rothbury, Northumberland.
Flooding on train lines caused disruption to services in Scotland. In North Wales, homes at Abergwyngregyn in Gwynedd have been flooded for the second time in six weeks after a river burst its banks.
A family of four were rescued by firefighters from a road in Billericay, Essex, on Saturday after their car became trapped in floodwater, while police forces issued warnings to drivers after crashes on waterlogged roads.
Further showers are expected today before more heavy rainfall is on the way for parts of Britain tomorrow
Downpours are also forecast for Wednesday with the most torrential rain of the week expected on Thursday
Some 120 flood alerts and warnings have been issued across the UK, including 92 in England and 21 in Scotland
Firefighters and water utilities workers are seen at a flooded area in Hemel Hempstead yesterday after the heavy rain
A resident of Rothbury in Northumberland bails water from their vehicle yesterday after the River Coquet burst its banks
On Millennium Bridge in London, people walked under umbrellas during the downpours in the capital yesterday
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said the wet weather had been 'quite widespread', adding: 'You've been extremely lucky if you have gone through the weekend without seeing much rain at all.'
The downpours had also been accompanied by plunging temperatures, well below the seasonal average, and windy conditions. Mr Snell said the 'unsettled conditions' would continue this week.
'The next three days we will see sunshine and showers,' he said. 'It remains unsettled but a notch down from the weekend. The temperatures will be below par for the time of year.'
Mr Snell said forecasters were 'keeping an eye on Thursday' as another low pressure system sweeping in from the Atlantic could bring in more heavy rain and strong winds.
There remains 'uncertainty' about how bad the weather will be later in the week, he added.
'This driver had a very lucky escape.': Fire crews rescue motorist after their car is washed away in a flood
A driver had to be plucked to safety after their car was washed away in a flood as Storm Alex battered Britain.
Firefighters were called to help after the motorist got marooned yesterday in the Warwickshire village of Wellesbourne. The driver was able to smash a window but could not get out.
A Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: 'Please don't risk your safety by trying to drive through flood water, and look carefully for depth gauges at fords. This driver had a very lucky escape.
'It could have been a very different story if this had happened later in the evening. Please do not put our firefighters at risk by driving through flood water. You will get stuck and we will have to come and rescue you.'
Fire crews from Wellesbourne and Stratford Fire Stations were called to the incident, and the spokesman added: 'Please take an extra five minutes and use an alternative route.'
Firefighters were called to help after the motorist got marooned yesterday in the Warwickshire village of Wellesbourne
The driver had to be plucked to safety after their car was washed away in a flood in Warwickshire yesterday as the storm battered Britain
At least seven people die in floods along the border between France and Italy
Floods have caused chaos and devastation along the border between France and Italy, leaving at least seven dead.
Torrential rain from Storm Alex led to a surge that washed away large homes, cut off several villages, caused landslides and destroyed roads and bridges.
In some places, more than 24 inches of rain fell in 24 hours. Yesterday, an operation involving around 1,000 firemen and four military helicopters continued all day to search for the missing and anyone trapped.
A gendarme stands among debris including vehicles at Breil-sur-Roya in France following extensive flooding in the area
A three-storey building under renovation that collapsed following floods at Limone Piemonte near Cuneo in Italy on Saturday
In Italy, a firefighter died after being hit by a falling tree and a man in his 30s was swept into a river after a road subsided.
Five further bodies were discovered in north-western Italy, including four washed up near the French border. Some might have been swept down the coast from France.
Two French firefighters were reported missing after their vehicle was carried away by flood-water after a road collapsed in the Alpes-Maritimes region.
