The World : New Storm Batters Britain

Britain was hit by torrential rain, which disrupted traffic and public services as emergency agencies were still trying to repair damage caused by last week’s hurricane-force storms. Roads and railways were in chaos in many parts of southern and central England, with floodwaters up to six feet deep. “I’ve never seen rain like it,” one policeman said in the southern county of Sussex, where residents had to be evacuated from their homes. In the London area, 40 major roads were blocked by flooding, the Automobile Assn. said in a warning to motorists. London emergency services received hundreds of calls as rescue workers tried to reinforce with sandbags the banks of the overflowing River Wandle in south London.