Britain and especially northern England have been hit by heavy rain and severe flooding, prompting people in a number of towns and villages to leave their homes on Saturday.

Flood warnings have been issued in hundreds of locations throughout Britain, with warnings that flooding could at times be life-threatening, and that people should avoid taking to the roads whenever possible, dpa reported.

"A severe flood warning means danger to life. It doesn't mean 'come and have a look'," Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service warned residents in a tweet.

Lee Fraser of the West Yorkshire area in northern England told the Press Association of nearby roads being submerged by floods: "It's been raining really heavily since last night. The siren went off at about 7 am this morning and 10 minutes later everything started flooding."

A number of Boxing Day sporting events have been called off.

The British government also has the military involved in building temporary flood defenses in the north-west and evacuating residents in Lancashire.

Local police have reported that so far rainfall has already passed record levels, and that a further 5 to 8 centimeters are expected by the end of the day on Saturday.