LONDON, Nov. 2, 2000 (AP)—Rain swept across Britain on Thursday, swelling rivers already at bursting point as the country's most widespread floods in 50 years showed few signs of abating.
Weather forecasters warned that the situation would probably get worse over the next 48 hours with more rain on its way.
In Dover, on England's south coast, 10,000 families were told to boil drinking water after flooding was blamed for contaminating supplies with bacteria.
Water service authorities along the coast said rationing might be introduced in coming days.
Fourteen severe flood warnings were in place on nine rivers, with rivers in Yorkshire, northern England, and the River Severn, in the west, the chief areas of concern.
Overnight, levels continued to rise along the Severn, with hundreds of families evacuated from their homes in nearby villages. At Shrewsbury, on the Severn, the town center was inaccessible and the main bridge dissecting the city was closed.
The River Derwent at Stamford Bridge, East Yorkshire, peaked at 32.5 feet - the highest ever recorded.
Driving in the south of England and Wales was treacherous, with severe delays on highways because of flooding.
"We are already dealing with floods which, in geographical extent, are probably the most widespread since the great floods of 1947 and in some places as severe," said Sir John Harman, the Environmental Agency's chairman, while visiting some of the worst-hit areas in Yorkshire and the Midlands.
"The misery is set to continue," he added.
The Environment Agency said at least 3,000 properties have been badly hit by flooding across the country.
York city officials said its flood defense systems had protected many historic monuments from widespread damage.
But high waters were still threatening the Archbishop of York's official residence, Bishopthorpe Palace, where the cellars were completely flooded and workers were trying to remove old manuscripts and robes.
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