FLOOD-hit communities across Britain were bracing themselves for more disruption last night as torrential rain again swept the country.
The town centre of Bentley, near Doncaster, was still submerged, with scores of houses under several feet of water.
Firefighters continued to pump water out of the area into the River Don using high-volume pumps, and thousands of sandbags were in
place to try to hold back any further flooding.
Firefighters used a boat to retrieve children's costumes from one building so that the show could go on for a local theatre company due to perform today.
Doncaster mayor Martin Winter accepted that emotions were running high among residents who thought the emergency response to the flooding had been slow.
He said: "We've had such high quantities of water, we just haven't been able to cope with it.
"The buck stops with me and I'm fine about that.
"We can always learn from experiences like this when we get time to evaluate what has happened."
He said the first priority had been securing the safety of Ulley Dam, where there had been a risk that the dam wall could burst.
A flood support centre has been set up in Worcester to co-ordinate fire and rescue resources nationwide to cope with the expected further outbreaks of bad weather.
The Environment Agency urged people living in high-risk areas of Lincolnshire to ring the floodline on 08459 881188 before they went to bed last night.
Insurers said the cost of the damage across the UK is expected to top £1bn, with 27,000 homes and 5,000 businesses affected.
The Met Office yesterday continued to forecast persistent heavy rain across many parts of the UK. Rainfall could reach 40mm in some areas
The full article contains 298 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
