UK homeowners warned of risk of further flooding

Homeowners are being warned of the risk of further flooding over the next 48 hours as what is likely to be the wettest year on record comes to a soggy end. Heavy rain is expected to fall across much of the UK tonight and tomorrow, with revellers at outdoor New Year's Eve celebrations advised to take an umbrella. Forecasters said the new year should bring some drier weather, with most of the rain expected to have stopped by the early hours of New Year's Day. Although the past couple of weeks of almost relentless downpours look to be coming to an end, the Environment Agency warned that rain over the next couple of days could lead to more flooding in areas where the ground is already saturated and rivers and groundwater levels are still high. It currently has 191 flood alerts and 79 flood warnings in place. They follow hundreds of other alerts issued this month, as several days' worth of rain fell in a few hours at its worst, contributing to a year of bad weather which has left the UK on the brink of its wettest since records began in 1910. Homes have been evacuated and weary commuters and travellers forced to find alternative routes or abandon their plans altogether as sections of...