Storms batter England, two dead, hundreds of homes flooded

A 21-year-old woman died and two others were injured when a large spruce tree fell on her tent, and a man was killed when his car plunged into a swollen river in a flooded area.

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LONDON // Heavy rain and strong winds battered areas of Britain over the weekend, killing two people and flooding 800 homes, officials said yesterday.

A 21-year-old woman died and two others were injured when a large spruce tree collapsed in Exeter, near the southwestern coast, late on Saturday. The woman was in a small tent to shelter from the storm when the tree fell on it, police said. She later died at a hospital.

The rains caused the most serious problems in southern England. In nearby Cornwall, people had to briefly evacuate their homes as flood waters and torrential rain battered villages.

In Cambridgeshire, a man was driving a car when it plunged into a swollen river in a flooded area. The man was pulled from the water, but he died on the way to the hospital.

Hundreds of highways and roads were closed due to the flooding, and several train services were canceled.

Officials said the situation was stabilising in southern England, but weather forecasters said persistent rain would continue in the north of England and Scotland on Sunday.

Prime minister David Cameron pledged that all flood victims would get the help they needed.