The Rain Is On The Way

[Gooders]

Grand Prix fans are being warned not to attend the Silverstone race track as heavy rain on Friday left thousands stranded in traffic jams near the site.

The deluge affected race fans outside the Northamptonshire track and left some car parks unusable.

Silverstone managing director Richard Phillips last night issued an "unreserved apology" to fans, adding the incident almost reduced him to tears.

Mr Phillips said the financial hit is likely to run into seven figures, which for this season will potentially turn a profit into a loss.

He said organisers were in emergency meetings every two hours on Friday with the police, highways agencies, county council, emergency planning to "try and resolve the issues".

He added: "It's going to cost us a lot of money. I honestly don't know the figure, but it could be a lot more than hundreds of thousands (of pounds). For people who did not get in we're offering refunds, and for anybody who doesn't get in we'll be offering refunds as well.

"Right now we're trying to get ourselves into a situation to get in as many people as we can from a position of devastation. But I unreservedly apologise to people. I feel very responsible for it, this is something I've been very proud of over the years and I almost could cry now."

Problems started when a deluge of up to 40 millimetres of rainfall fell in a 12-hour period. By mid-afternoon all campsites in and around Silverstone had to be closed.

With camping grounds sodden, caravans and motorhomes had to be escorted in one at a time when ordinarily they would have driven straight in, backing up the traffic. It is the loss of the car parks that caused major headaches for all concerned as they hope for them to dry out to re-use them on Sunday.

Even F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was contacted and told not to bother turning up. Phillips said: "We dissuaded him from coming in. He was coming in by road, but he could have been five hours, I guess."

[Psychokiller]

Shame they contacted Ecclestone. It'd have been better if he'd been stuck in the middle of nowhere for 5 hours and had to shit his pants.

[Gooders]

I imagine that after 2" of rain they were worried he might drown.

[Santos-er]

Anyone that pays those ridiculous prices to line Ecclestones' pocket deserves all they get. Could go to 2 BTCC weekends on the cost of Friday admission alone.

[Gooders]

Torrential downpours have battered the south-west of England causing life-threatening floods as "colossal" levels of summer rain continued.

Devon was worst hit as three severe flood warnings were issued, while a man was killed in Northumberland when his car crashed off a rain-soaked road.

More than a month's worth of rain pelted parts of the country in just 24 hours, swelling rivers and streams, causing landslides and wreaking havoc on road and rail networks.

Although the sustained downpours are likely to diminish over the weekend and the coming days, forecasters said rain will continue to fall in heavy bursts across the whole country for at least another week.

After more than two inches of rain fell in just 18 hours in Devon, the Environment Agency put parts of the rivers Yealm, Axe and Burton on the highest grade flood warning, meaning they pose a "danger to life".

A total of around 75 flood warnings and 150 flood alerts were issued across England and Wales.

Residents and emergency services in Yealmbridge, Devon, were left with a huge clean-up operation after homes were overwhelmed with up to six feet of water when the Yealm burst through sandbags put in place in a bid to bolster its flood defences.

Muddy water marks streaked across houses, and the surface of one of the roads in the small hamlet was ripped up under the weight of water that cascaded down the road. Firefighters and teams from the Environment Agency were on the scene pumping water from around the white semi-detached houses.

Terrified villagers spoke of waking up to torrents of water raging through the streets. Mia Leech, 14, described "floods and floods of the river coming down the lane". She said: "By the time we got half the stuff upstairs the water was already up to our necks and past our heads." Water flowed over car roofs, the fridge was knocked over and furniture had been moved around. "My little brother was scared and I had a friend sleeping over and we were both just traumatised, we couldn't go downstairs," she added.

In nearby Yealmpton around 40 homes and 75 residents on one side of the river were affected as water gushed into houses. The river reached a record high of seven-and-a-half feet, the Environment Agency said. Elsewhere, residents in the Leicestershire village of Sheepy Magna were evacuated from their homes after flooding.

[Gooders]

We still have a hosepipe ban here.

[bendyjoe]

Had my band's gig in Axminster tonight cancelled... Can't say I'm too disappointed. Best of luck to everyone there,.

[mexicaneagle]

Originally Posted by Gooders

We still have a hosepipe ban here.

Won't somebody think of the aquifers!?

[LLCOOLSTEVE]

Originally Posted by Gooders

We still have a hosepipe ban here.

Im sure it was lifted a while back for the whole country

[stevek]

Originally Posted by LLCOOLSTEVE

Im sure it was lifted a while back for the whole country

Afraid not. Sutton and east Surrey still have a ban in place.

[jaspercpfc]

Originally Posted by stevek

Afraid not. Sutton and east Surrey still have a ban in place.

with Sutton council nothing surprises me http://m.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/new...n_Life_Centre/

[kellyking]

Originally Posted by stevek

Afraid not. Sutton and east Surrey still have a ban in place.

I live in Keston, Kent and we are still on a hosepipe ban, South East Water.
Apperantly we are having the wrong kind of rain, probably to wet, just like my knickers are reading 50 shades of grey.

[Psychokiller]

I amm nott a trol, bee nice too me and dontt make me crye

[NorthPalace23]

It will stop raining once the tennis and cricket are over!

[kellyking]

Originally Posted by NorthPalace23

It will stop raining once the tennis and cricket are over!

Have you forgotton the Olympics are in the UK, Another 3 weeks of tennis in that = another 3 weeks of rain

[NorthPalace23]

Originally Posted by kellyking

Have you forgotton the Olympics are in the UK, Another 3 weeks of tennis in that = another 3 weeks of rain

The cricket season finishes in September so will be even longer than that

[evvo111]

Looks like the end of the world in December looks a fair bet. I suggest everyone goes out to the local forest and start cutting down trees to build an ark. Now, who should I take on mine? Katherine Jenkins is a definite and David Cameron as well...only so I can chuck him overboard

[Gooders]

Originally Posted by LLCOOLSTEVE

Im sure it was lifted a while back for the whole country

Nope - still in force here I'm afraid. The roads are all flooded though so I wash my car by driving fast through big puddles.

[Gooders]

All the better if there's a middle-aged cyclist in lycra nearby.

[Gooders]

I doubt anyone will be surprised to learn that the forecast is for rain in London every day this week, with the possible exception of Thursday, when it will simply be thick grey cloud.