500 home owners in Wales told to evacuate after river breaks its banks A spokesman for Denbighshire County Council said: "Over recent hours, concerns have been growing about the levels of the River Elwy at St Asaph. The river has now overtopped the flood defences in the north end of the city. North-west England and Wales again felt the worst of the weather last night, where winds reached up to 55mph. Sleet fell over the Pennines with snow predicted in the Scottish mountains today. In the south, Essex Fire and Rescue Service received more than 100 calls to flooding related incidents last night. Gemma Plumb, a spokeswoman for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "Although the rain was lighter last night than previous days, the rain fell on already saturated surfaces adding to the risk of flooding. It will become increasingly drier in most places as we go through today, with just East Anglia and south east England holding on to the rain. By the end of the day most of the rain would have lifted but temperatures will feel noticeably colder this week, dropping to freezing overnight. Three people died in flooding over the weekend. A 21-year-old woman was crushed by a falling tree and a 50-year-old man fell into a canal. John McNair, a 77-year-old retired company director, also died after his 4x4 vehicle was wedged under a bridge in a swollen ford following heavy rain in Chew Stoke, Somerset. A 70-year-old man who was up to his neck in water in a car had to be rescued by the police and was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving. Police officers were called to the car, which had become trapped under a railway bridge in Wymington, Beds, on Sunday morning. The man received medical treatment and was arrested afterwards.