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FLOODS IN, 30 * i COUNTIES

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POSITION STILL

CRITICAL

THAMES 3 MILES

WIDE

With higher temperatures and more rain, floods became worse in many parts of the country yesterday. The Automobile Association stated last night that there were floods in some parts of at least 30 counties, and the area mainly affected covered almost the whole of central England roughly in a square with its four corners in mid 'Wales, Lincolnshire, Somerset, and Essex. More than 300 roads haa been made impassable by ifloods, snow, ice, and falen tfrees. Of these more than 50 were blocked by trees uprooted by the gale. Several railway lines are under water.

Below Chertsey the Thames was three miles wide last night, 'but offcials said the water was falling slightly and an improvement was expected lo-day. The outlook in the Great t)use catchment area was stated to be " still critical." The Catchment Board announced that efforts were being made to localize the flooding caused by the breach in the river bank at Over, through which water was pouring into the fens at Cottenham and Willingham, but issued a warning that the flooding might extend to more fent. The outlook in the Severn catchment area was described as " very grave." The river, still rising, was 15ft. 6in. above sumrner level at Worcester, and only 9in. below the 1886 flood level.

1894 LEVELS EXCEEDED

In parts of the Thames Valley the record levels of 1894 have been passed. At Windsor the Position was described, as-a little worse than on Monday, and no trains ran between there and Staines. Wraysbury, Runnymede, and Datchet were cut off by road and rail. The floods, which are 6ft. deep in places, extend from Windsor to Walton. Below Chertsey bridge, where the river is three miles wide, there is a great lake stopping all traffic between Shepperton and Chertsey. At Walton bridge the river is a mile wide.

ehe floods extended yesterday to the village of' Dorney, near Eton. Troops have built a wal at Hampton to keep the flood waters from the pumping station there, which is one of the largest serving the London area. At Maidenhead the river rose 3in., and in parts of the town the water is nearly 6ft. deep. Soldiers evacuated marooned families.

It is estimated that about 1,000 people have had to leave their homes in Reading. The Mayor, Alderman Mrs. Phoebe Cusden, described the floods as the greatest disaster in Reading far 300 years.

In the Fens hundreds of men and women were at work to hold back the flood waters. There were breaches in the bank of the Ouse at Haddenham, at West River Bridge, Little Thetford, near Ely, and at Over, near the Huntingdonshire border, where troops were erecting sandbag barriers to stop floods from breaches in the banks of the river from joining the floods in the Thetford area....