More heavy rain is forecast

Forecasters said early predictions were that September could be a record month for rainfall.

And further questions emerged about flood defences for high risk areas after it was revealed plans were shelved in one of the worst affected areas.

Environment Agency proposals for the historic market town of Morpeth in Northumberland, where 1,000 properties were damaged and 400 residents evacuated, were put out to consultation but never implemented.

Instead residents found themselves issued with giant expanding pillows designed to soak up water like nappies. Each should have absorbed 20 litres of rain but residents found they couldn't handle the sheer volume of water when the River Wansbeck burst its banks.

Many people whose homes were flooded have barely finished clearing up from last summer's floods.

The historic Abbey in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, which came to represent last year's floods, was once again surrounded by water.

More rain is predicted for areas already "saturated" with rain, Met Office forecaster John Hammond said.

Deluges are expected in western England and Wales, and more rain on Thursday in the North East, the West Midlands and Wales.

"That's clearly not going to be very helpful given the large amount of rain we have already seen this month," he said. "It's an early prediction but arguably it's angling to to be one of the wettest Septembers ever."