Britain, Still Reeling From Storm, Hit by Heavy Rains

LONDON — Britain was hit today by torrential rain that disrupted traffic and public services as emergency crews were still trying to repair damage caused by last week’s hurricane-force storms.

Roads and railways were in chaos in many parts of southern and central England, with floods of up to six feet deep.

“I’ve never seen rain like it,” one policeman said in the southern county of Sussex, where residents had to be evacuated from their homes.

In the London area alone, 40 major roads were blocked by flooding, the Automobile Assn. said in a warning to motorists.

Emergency services in the capital received hundreds of calls as rescue workers tried to reinforce with sandbags the banks of the overflowing River Wandle in south London.

The Southern Water Authority issued flood alerts for three rivers in Kent, one of the worst-hit areas in last Friday’s storms, when winds hit an unprecedented 100 m.p.h.

The Electricity Board said 180,000 homes in southeast England were still without power and it could be days before lines were restored.

As the day wore on the rain moved across the country and the London Weather Center warned of worse to come in northern England and Scotland.

In Wales, Prince Charles, Britain’s heir to the throne, and Princess Diana visited flood-hit areas to see the emergency operations.

It was their first joint public appearance in five weeks following speculation in the tabloid press that their marriage was in trouble.