Miserable weather continued to plague the UK as the downpour returned to south-west England, renewing flood risk in areas of Devon and Cornwall, that are already devastated by severe flooding over the weekend.

The Environment Agency has issued 150 flood warnings and more than 260 flood alerts for all regions in England and in Wales, with most in place across the Midlands and south-west England. Weather forecasters predict that rains will sweep England and Wales before heading north to Scotland, where it could turn heavy and prolonged.

Christmas getaways have been affected by train service disruptions caused by flooding. No train services are running between Bristol Parkway and Swindon. First Great Western services between London Paddington and Swansea will be diverted, extending journey times by up to 45 minutes.

Trains will not run between Exeter St Davids and Taunton until December 28, and services between Derby and Nottingham have been severely affected by flooding at Long Eaton.

Severe flood warning remains in place for River Cober at Helston in Cornwall, which burst its banks on Saturday, flooding several homes. A high volume pump, capable of clearing a tonne of water a second, will be used to pump out the flood water from the town.

In Devon’s village Stoke Canon, 25 people were rescued after River Exeter burst its banks. Yesterday, up to 100 homes were evacuated in Stonehaven after the River Carron burst its banks and affected a number of homes in the centre of the town with waist-high water level.

Fear of flooding is also high in Scotland where 23 flood warnings are in place as Aberdeenshire, Caithness and Sutherland, Dundee and Angus, Tayside and the Borders are at risk of flooding.