Swathes of the Midlands and the South of England have been hit by widespread flooding after heavy rain fell on saturated ground and caused rivers to swell.

A major incident has been declared in Nottinghamshire due to rising water levels along the River Trent – with officials telling residents who live in flood risk areas to be prepared to evacuate their homes.

Forecasts showed peaks along the River Trent could “come close to the highest levels on record from the year 2000”, Nottinghamshire County Council said.

In central London, a party boat sank in the Thames – with its owners saying the cause was likely “because of weather conditions”. The coastguard told Sky News that “everyone is accounted for”.

The Met Office’s yellow weather warning for rain across the South of England expired at 3am on Friday, but the Environment Agency says the impact of surface water and river flooding could be felt for several days.

Great Western Railway and South Western Railway have both told passengers that travel disruption is likely to continue into this morning’s rush hour as engineers grapple with flooded lines and landslips.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson says the forecast looks more settled as we head into the weekend, but it will be colder than recently.

She added: “Friday morning looks rather grey and blustery for eastern Britain, with outbreaks of rain, most persistent across eastern Scotland.

“Elsewhere, it will be mainly dry, with sunny spells, but there will be a scattering of showers. The weekend also looks mainly dry, with just isolated showers.”

Check out the latest weather forecast where you are

The highest rainfall totals recorded on Thursday were 35.2mm at Otterbourne in Hampshire, with a wide range of 20mm to 30mm across much of the southern counties of England.

It comes just days after disruption caused by strong winds and rain from Storm Henk, which has left the ground saturated and more prone to flooding.

Late last night, 10 fire engines and about 70 firefighters were called to a big flood in east London.

Several people were evacuated from buildings after a canal burst its banks in Hackney Wick.

Other key developments:
• Tewkesbury experiences worst flooding since 2007
• Cows drown in flooded field in Derbyshire
• Police force referred to watchdog after woman dies after hitting fallen tree
• People stranded in their homes in Shrewsbury

Follow live: Flooding across England as county declares major incident

Urging people to be prepared to evacuate due to the flooding, Nottinghamshire County Council said in its statement: “Key tributaries which feed in to the River Trent, including the River Derwent, the River Soar and the River Dove, have already reached their peaks and high water levels will now pass down the Trent, which is likely to lead to the flooding to properties and roads.

“Residents who live in the flood risk areas are being asked to ensure they have preparations in place in case they are asked to evacuate. Councils, emergency services and the Environment Agency have been providing emergency support to communities impacted and will continue to provide support across the county.”

It comes as a man stranded on his shed roof by floodwater in Nottinghamshire was rescued by a fire crew who used a boat to bring him safely to land.

‘Outside their front doors it’s like a river’

Meanwhile, several residents of Radcliffe Residential Park, an estate of static caravans for the over-55s just to the east of Nottingham in the East Midlands, had to be evacuated due to high water levels.

Laurie Walker, chairman of Radcliffe Park Residents’ Association, said: “I’ve had someone knock on my door to say the water is going to rise another 25cm. Outside their front doors, it’s like a river, I don’t know if the homes have been flooded.

“To come out of the park I’ve had to walk through somebody else’s garden to avoid the flood on the road. It’s the worst it’s ever been, I’ve been here seven years. It’s a mess.”

Pub landlord in tears after business floods

Parts of Worcestershire, the West Midlands, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, Leicestershire and West Sussex have also been flooded.

Mario Thomas, 65, landlord of The Boat Inn in Jackfield, Shropshire, has said he broke down in tears after “evil” floodwaters devastated his pub.

He said the water was up to his chest when he entered the pub close to the River Severn.

Police refers itself to watchdog after woman’s death

Meanwhile, Thames Valley Police has referred itself to the police watchdog over the death of an 87-year-old woman in Oxfordshire who crashed into a tree.

The force said it received a report about the tree around 90 minutes before the collision.

Eyewitness: Fears for vulnerable people as flooding hits market town

Dan Whitehead

West of England and Wales correspondent

@danwnews

Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire is no stranger to floods – especially the residents of Abbey Terrace.

Properties all have pumps in their cellars and floodgates in their gardens.

But as firefighters evacuated vulnerable people from their homes, locals on the road told Sky News this is the worst they’ve seen it since 2007.

The Veal family were loading up possessions into a kayak.

Simon, a father, said: “We’re going to evacuate. The ground floor is no longer tenable. The sewerage system doesn’t work, it won’t be long before the water is polluted as well, the power will go out.

“The floors will have to come out. The plaster up to a metre will come off the walls, damaged furniture, the fridge, freezer, cooker, washing machine, tumble dryer. It’s everything.”

John and his wife Marion were being evacuated in a boat by Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

“It’s worse than 2007,” John told me. “That was in the middle of summer, it was not as cold. That’ll be a problem for vulnerable people.”