Man dies with his dog after car becomes submerged in British floods
Posted: May 01, 2012 5:36 AM AST Updated: May 01, 2012 5:36 AM AST
Source: NewsCoreCOMPTON, England -- As heavy rain caused floods across Britain on Monday, a man and his dog drowned when the car they were traveling in became submerged in a deep, fast-flowing waterway at Compton, 60 miles (96km) west of London.
On the last day of the UK's wettest April on record, the 52-year-old man's car became completely submerged at around 9:15am local time when a five-foot (1.5m) wall of water rushed over it and swept it away, The (London) Times reported.
A female passenger in the car managed to free herself and swim to safety, but the man stayed with his dog.
The man, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Britain's Meteorological Office released figures Monday showing that an average of 4.8 inches (121.8mm) of rainfall fell up until April 29, beating the previous record of 4.74 inches (120.3mm) set in 2000.
And there was a risk the wet weather would continue into May, with an Environment Agency spokeswoman telling the Times that areas in southern England should be on high ***** for flooding Tuesday.
"After a very wet weekend conditions have generally improved [Monday], but further rain forecast for [Monday night] means that there is still a risk of flooding across many parts of England and Wales," the spokeswoman said.
"River flows are high after this weekend's rainfall and we are keeping a close watch on river levels as well as checking defences and clearing any potential blockages to reduce the risk of flooding."