THIRD WORLD

..."Worst hit areas braced for yet more rain· Nine-hour downpour is forecast for weekend· Work to restore supply goes on despite vandalism ... Flood-damaged regions of central and southern England were on alert again today, as more heavy rain was forecast to move in from the Atlantic this afternoon. Up to nine hours of persistent rain will bring a risk of further flooding in saturated areas of the Severn and upper Thames Valley, the Environment Agency said. Damage to communications could hamper efforts to restore water to 350,000 homes in Gloucestershire, where engineers are working round the clock on the polluted Mythe pumping station. Severn Trent Water and the army said that bottled supplies of water, and those brought in by tanker, now amounted to over 6 million litres a day and were running well, with reports of vandalism stemming from a handful of "stupid" but minor incidents"...