DHAKA: Thousands of Britons woke up to flooding and power cuts on Christmas morning after torrential rainfall and hurricane-force winds battered the country.

Three severe flood warnings are in place along with over 350 secondary warnings and alerts, largely across southern and central England.

Britain’s environment agency said on Wednesday, reports The Straits Times.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly in southern England, had no electricity late on Christmas Eve and engineers were working on Christmas Day to restore power.

Winds of up to 145kmh hit both Britain and France on December 23 and Christmas Eve, with heavy downpours causing cancellations of rail, flight and ferry services.

BDST: 1709 HRS, DEC 24, 2013
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor