Further heavy rain yesterday was expected to bring more misery to areas that have already suffered widespread flooding in Britain.

Nearly 80 flood warnings remain in place across the country while there are 115 flood alerts.

River levels have been rising steadily in counties including Wiltshire, Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset and across the Midlands following days of downpours, the Environment Agency (EA) said.

Rivers including the Hampshire Avon through Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset, the Stour in Dorset, the Parrett in Somerset and the Severn through the Midlands showed little signs of receding. Communities along the River Thames throughout Surrey, Berkshire and Oxfordshire were also warned yesterday that they are at risk of flooding.

Eight people have died and more than 1,700 homes and businesses have been flooded since the beginning of the Christmas period, with around 550 properties swamped since the new year. Some 140 properties have been flooded in Wales.

It appeared the atrocious weather had claimed another victim on Saturday after police hunting for a missing photography student found a body. Harry Martin, 18, left his home in Newton Ferrers, Devon, at noon on January 2 to take pictures of stormy seas. A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed a body had been found in the sea by coastguards.

The EA said those living along the lower reaches of the Thames in Surrey should remain prepared for further flooding as water levels continue to rise.

EA teams are continuing to be out in force clearing watercourses, checking and operating mobile defences, issuing warnings, and helping communities with flooding.

The most recent estimates suggest that more than 700 properties have been flooded since the start of the year, but more than 239,000 properties have been protected by flood defences.