Flood rescues after two people get trapped in cars

Two people have been rescued from cars after heavy rain brought flooding to parts of Wales.

The River Ely burst its banks at Peterston-super-Ely in Vale of Glamorgan, where members of the public rescued someone from their vehicle.

There was a second car rescue on the A458 in Cyfronydd, Powys, where wading firefighters rescued a person trapped.

More than a dozen flood warnings are in place and flooding has closed roads and forced the cancellation of trains.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters were called to the trapped car at Peterston-super-Ely, but local people had already helped the driver escape.

Councillor Michael Morgan filmed his neighbour Dai Lewis taking a 10-year-old boy to school in a canoe through the village as he did not want to miss his class trip.

"He has been a local hero recently ferrying people back and fore during the floods," said Mr Morgan.

The Sportsman's Rest pub in Peterston-super-Ely has been flooded for the third time in three weeks.

Landlord Huw Jones said damage caused by flooding in September cost about £100,000.

"I woke up about 05:45 this morning, jumped out of bed, rang four or five of the regulars and we started lifting fridges, stock, tables and chairs," he said.

"The water was still coming in and was already two or three inches deep. It's about 2ft deep now.

"It's pointless crying about it, but it's a very stressful time and affects cash flow. It kills the business."

Rail services have been disrupted, with trains between Cardiff and Bridgend cancelled due to flooding and bus replacement services operating.

Network Rail tweeted just before 17:00 GMT that the line had reopened, but said it could take some time before services were fully restored.

It advised passengers to check their journey before they travel.

A number of roads have been affected by flooding, including the A483 at Builth Wells, the A458 at Cyfronydd and A490 at Cilcewydd, all in Powys.

The A473 at Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taff, is also affected.

Cardiff council is advising people to avoid the level crossing at St Fagans due to high river levels.

And fields have become lakes adjacent to the roads between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth, according to members of North Wales Police's Rural Crime Team who tweeted a film of their journey.

People in Powys and Ceredigion had been warned to expect up to 100mm (3.9in) of rain between Monday and Tuesday morning with a Met Office warning.

A yellow "be alert" rain warning for elsewhere in Wales was lifted at midday on Tuesday.

"We will continue to see the risk of localised flooding through the course of today," said BBC Wales weather presenter Sabrina Lee.

There have been flood warnings along the River Severn, the River Ely, the River Wye, as well as the tidal areas at Kidwelly, Laugharne and Pendine in Carmarthenshire and Cardigan in Ceredigion.

The downpours follow Wales' wettest February on record after storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge battered the UK.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said staff had been making preparations, such has checking defences and ensuring culverts remained free of blockages.

"With ground conditions still very saturated, there's scope for flooding on roads across Wales, as water runs off saturated fields," said Jeremy Parr, head of flood and incident risk management.

The yellow warning covered parts of Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea and Vale of Glamorgan.