Thames Barrier shuts for the first time in two years to prevent flooding in London as fresh Atlantic storm promises yet more rain



2012 is set to become the wettest on record in the UK, forecasters said

Experts worried extra rainfall upstream and high tide could flood the capital

Gates closed this morning for first time since March 2010



Flooding expected across Britain, with 312 warnings and alerts out

Cold weather front expected to sweep in at 6am tomorrow



Commuters returning to work hit by floods and rail problems

London's flood defence system was activated yesterday for the first time since 2010 as Britain's wet weather threatens to bring flooding to the capital.

The Environment Agency raised the Thames Barrier yesterday morning to prevent flooding from the current tides as extra rainfall, which has fallen further up the River Thames, flows downstream.

It came as forecasters warned yet more downpours and storms are on the way to bring a soggy end to the wettest year in England since records began in 1910.



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The Thames Barrier has been closed because of the increased risk of flooding from tidal surges

The flood gates have been raised due to a combination of a high tide and extra rainfall further up the River Thames which could cause flooding in London The record for the whole of the UK will be broken if, as seems likely, just over 1.8in more rain falls on Britain by the end of the year on Monday.

With 50.8in having fallen on the UK up to December 26, that is all it will take to beat the 52.6in that fell in 2000, the UK's wettest year so far. The record for England has already been set with the 43.1in of rain that had fallen by Boxing Day, the Met Office said. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next Year of the slug: 2012 was a washout for gardeners but... Nine dead, 2,000 flights canceled and chaos on the roads as... Share this article Share Heavy rain is expected to fall in many parts of the country today followed by storms with sleet and even snow over the weekend. A storm brewing in the Atlantic could bring up to two inches of rain and 90mph winds in some areas.

That could extend the nightmare of hundreds of home and business owners who have seen their property repeatedly damaged by floods, with the South West hit particularly badly.

Yesterday the Thames Barrier was closed for the first time in two years to prevent flooding to low-lying areas of London. The Environment Agency raised the defence system to stop floodwaters from further upstream meeting a high tide last night.

This pub further up river from the barrier at Henley on Thames was left submerged Flooding on the River Thames further upstream in Henley, Oxfordshire The River Thames in Sonning in Berkshire, as a wet and stormy weekend could mark the end of one of the wettest years in history in Britain A forecaster for MeteoGroup said: 'New bands of rain will sweep across Britain from west to east bringing some heavy showers. There will be some sunshine and clearer skies on Saturday but it will be a stormy weekend and noticeably wet and windy.

'Winds will reach up to 50mph in the North and West of the UK, and up to 90mph along the west coast of Scotland.

'It's going to be a wet and stormy end to the year.'

Upton on Severn has suffered serious flooding after torrential rainfall in the last week A pub in Upton-upon-Severn sits under water with more heavy rainfall expected across Britain before the New Year

A van travels along a snow covered road in Nenthead, Cumbria where wintry weather covered many parts of northern England Forecasters are predicting that Britain will be hit by more wild weather over the next few days adding more misery to flood hit areas Snow covered roads in County Durham where the temperature plunged Brave: A cyclist travels along a snow covered road in County Durham Rail and road networks badly hit by appalling weather in the run-up to Christmas face further disruption over the coming days.

Yesterday thousands of furious rail passengers were left stranded and delayed as late-running engineering work and bad weather combined to cause chaos which train bosses said will run into the New Year.

There were no trains between Paddington and Heathrow Airport or Reading, and delays to services in the East Midlands and parts of Scotland and Wales.

Fields covered with flood water as the River Severn breaks its banks in Worcester Worcestershire County Cricket Club lays under flood water as Britain faces one of the wettest years on record

More wet weather is expected voer thew weekend as flood waters gather on land close to Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire

A canoeist paddles past the winning post on flooded Worcester racecourse A car enters flooding in Berkshire, left, while St Deny's church near Worcester stands under water, right



First Great Western continued to advise passengers not to travel to and from Devon and Cornwall.

The weather has been blamed for a fire at a school yesterday which is believed to have been started by lightning during a thunderstorm. The blaze erupted in the roof of the arts and theatre block at Lytchett Minster School in Poole, Dorset, with 20ft flames engulfing the two- storey building.



More than 60 firemen tried to put out the blaze which began just after 7am yesterday.



A monkey sanctuary in Cornwall which cares for sick and injured animals caught up in the UK pet trade is appealing for help after being devastated by flooding.



Staff at Looe Monkey Sanctuary are also coming to terms with the loss of Pepper, a ten-month-old capuchin, which died after contracting tetanus that may have been linked to the floods.

More than 60 firefighters battled a fire at Lychett Minster school in Dorset which is believed to have started after the building was hit by a huge bolt of lightning There were darkened skies and stormy seas at Southsea in Hampshire as Britain's unsettled weather continues Two young girls pose bravely at Southsea in treacherous conditions The Rose and Crown pub in Worcester is under water after flooding Another two inches of rain and winds of up to 60mph are expected hit Britain before the weekend Seagulls rest on a bench after floods left this park in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, waterlogged A horse drinks flood water in Barrow upon Trent, Derbyshire, A border collie enjoys the flood water at Branston Golf Club, Burton A 300-year-old cottage was believed to have been flooded for the first time in its history in Cambridgeshire. The property in Hemingford Abbots was filled with two feet of water after the Great Ouse river burst its banks. Workers from Anglian Water are now working desperately to pump out the dirty water.

The Environment Agency has issued 109 flood warnings and 213 less serious flood alerts for the UK as the risk of flooding continues.

However, the agency has removed 76 flood warnings and alerts in the last 24 hours.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has one flood alert in place around the Scottish Borders.

Rail and road networks were badly hit in the days leading up to Christmas, with a number of key routes struck by weather-related delays and National Rail warned of further disruption in the south-west today.

First Great Western trains yesterday told people not to attempt travel today.

Hundreds of homes have flooded in the past week, with the worst-affected areas in South West.

England and along the south coast from Cornwall to Kent, along with Wales and northern Scotland.

The sodden Christmas comes towards the end of what is expected to be one of the wettest years in Britain since records began.

The UK's average rainfall in 2012, excluding December, was 1,202mm - placing it 13th in the list of wettest years since records began in 1910. Neighbours help out after a 300-year-old cottage flooded in the village of Hemingford Abbots, Cambridgeshire, for the first time in its history Owners of the cottage awoke to find the property under two feet of water after the Great Ouse burst its banks A tree had to be felled after it threatened the safety of monkeys in a sanctuary in Cornwall

Pepper, the 10-month-old capuchin monkey died after getting tetanus, possibly linked to flooding at the Looe Monkey Sanctuary in Cornwall

A dog walker is battered by strong winds on the Hamble seafront

Back in April that barely seemed imaginable with Britain in the midst of the worst drought since 1976.



More than 20million people were subject to a hosepipe ban as the Environment Agency drew up contingency plans believing the drought could last until Christmas.

But after the wettest summer in 100 years, Britain's climate swung back the other way.

Professor Tim Palmer, from the University of Oxford, told the BBC the topsy-turvy conditions are the result of changes in the movement of the Atlantic jet stream which travels to our shores from America.

'When the jet stream moves up to the north, and then travels back down to the UK, it brings with it cold air, blizzards, very severe and unpleasant weather from that perspective,' he said.

Professor Palmer predicted Britain will see more extreme patterns of weather with periods of drought followed by flooding and cold weather as the jet stream continues to be affected by climate change.

'The question of how it will change is still a very active research problem, and we don't have clear-cut answers yet.

'But I think there is quite a big possibility that what we will see is the jet stream undergoing quite dramatic and erratic excursions.'

A large depression over the Atlantic is set to hit Britain bringing more rain and winds of up to 60mph

Flooding in Spring Cottage, Leicestershire, which is expected to see more wet weather over the weekend

A dog walker braves the downpours as Britain's relentless wet weather continues

Fossil hunters search the coast on Monmouth Beach in Lyme Regis, despite warnings form coastguards about possible landslides The Environment Agency has issued an amber warning about possible landslides in coastal areas of the South-East