Raindrops keep falling and falling and falling

By PATRICK GOWER

Britain's flood defences may be at breaking point, but the downpour has also caused a "rain-drain" by drowning the travel plans of many New Zealanders.

The deluge has wreaked havoc in Dear Old Blighty, with thousands of Britons forced from their homes over the past few weeks by the worst floods in 50 years.

The back-to-back severe flood warnings of the past few days and the prospect of more storms and further flooding have dampened the spirits of soggy New Zealand travellers.

Katarina Bradonovich said her holiday had become "grey and depressing."

"It is affecting the way I look when I show up either to work or play - a sniffling, teary-eyed, red-nosed, purple-fingered, steam-breathing mess."

In London, severe delays to trains which come in from the suburbs and districts have disrupted the travel plans of many Kiwis.

Tony Martin, of Wanganui, said the flooding had "screwed up all the trains, making it near impossible to get in or out of London."

Trains are already travelling under speed reductions imposed across the country after a recent crash at Hatfield that killed four people.

"I'm pretty sure every single New Zealander over here would have had at least one or two bad experiences - waiting on platforms for up to an hour without information, or waiting on a supposedly disembarking train for ages only to find it has been cancelled," said Mr Martin.

The worst-hit areas have been Kent, Sussex, the northeast, Yorkshire and the Midlands.

"The poor buggers in the lower-lying areas have been flooded out," Mr Martin told the Herald. "A bloke I know had his house flooded, and then the sewer mains also spewed out into his house. And when it rains here it bloody pours down - there's no such thing as a bit of light drizzle."

The traditionally bleak English winter is set to get bleaker as well, with a recent announcement from Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott saying that climate change will make floods a "regular occurrence."

Marnie Saywell, a flight attendant with Air New Zealand, said she had a bird's-eye view of the flooding from a recent flight coming in from Los Angeles.

"When we flew into Heathrow yesterday, the images of flooding over the English countryside were amazing. Most of the major rivers have burst their banks, and whole towns and villages are being swamped with water ... It's just devastated."

She said the rain seemed to have ceased - for now.

"It is looking a bit ominous out there now, and I think the rain will be back this afternoon."

With most of Britain so waterlogged that the briefest downpours can trigger floods, even British actor Kate Winslet, star of the blockbuster film Titanic, has been immersed in a real water drama.

Her historic home on the River Thames has been threatened by rising waters, with only sandbags standing between the marooned star and the river's bursting banks.

The Kiwi league team's preparation for World Cup games have been marred by having to train on sodden grounds.

Bryn McDonald, of Havelock North, is in London on his "big OE" and said heavy flooding had almost halved attendance at the commercial bakery he worked in.

"Because the trains are stuffed, everybody jumps in their car and then all the roads and buses also grind to a halt. There is only a 60 per cent turnout at work on these days."

He said the other weather-related problems were pretty standard - a leak in the roof, and having to listen to all the "Poms" whinge about the weather.

"Everyone has an umbrella, and most people don't have any qualms about making you duck every time one is about to smack you in the face. Manners don't appear to be a big concern."

Herald Online Travel