Britain Floods

The recent spate of record-breaking downpours and aggressive Atlantic storms has seen many towns and villages flood to previously unheard of levels.

Unfortunately the freak weather systems are showing no signs of dissipating and the next few days could see as much as a month's worth of rainfall fall on already heavily-flooded areas.

The situation has forced families to evacuate houses as well as traverse perilous roads in order to escape waterlogged areas and reach safer ground.

Many of us have little, if any experience tackling submerged roads so Peter Rodger, the Institute of Advanced Motorists' (IAM) chief examiner, has divulged some of his top tips for tackling deluged routes.

"In cases of severe flooding, you should reconsider making the journey at all," explained Rodger. But if it is absolutely necessary, the IAM suggests drivers take the following precautions:
  • Leave time and space to avoid swamping other cars and pedestrians

The harsh storms have also brought with them gale force winds that have the potential to fell trees and tip high-sided vehicles. If it is looking blustery outside, make sure you take the following precautions:
  • Look well ahead, that way you don't need to take your eye off the road and you can see any windy patches before you get to them
  • Go slowly enough to cope with the tree that has fallen right across the road, just round the bend where you can't see it