Woman killed by falling tree as thousands count cost of torrential rain and flooding With more heavy rains predicted for the beginning of this week some 271 flood alerts and more than 220 flood warnings remained in place across England and Wales. The South West was the hardest hit region with widespread flooding, torrential downpours and gales damaging hundreds of properties. In Exeter City Centre on Saturday night a 21-year-old woman died when a large oak tree smashed into her tent after being blown down by gusts of more than 60mph. Two other men were seriously injured in the incident. In Cambridgeshire a 70-year-old man died after his car crashed into a swollen river near Earith on Saturday. But Cambridgeshire Police claimed the accident could have happened "at any time" of the year. Hundreds of Cornish residents were evacuated from homes as floods caused "serious threats to life" in many villages. Cornwall Council set up special rest centres in many of the worst hit villages with around 230 staff tasked with helping those hit by flooding. Severe flood warnings were issued by the Environment Agency in Lostwithiel, Helston, Polperro and Perranporth were rivers were threatening to burst their banks. Traveling by road in the region was reported to be nigh on impossible with floods blocking dozens of routes, including the M5 and M50. People were left stranded in their homes in Newlyn in Cornwall, while roads in Bovey Tracey in Devon were turned into rivers as water poured down them. "We did have to have some partial evacuation and move people to recovery centres, but fortunately we have been able to move them all back, with the exception of a couple of elderly and vulnerable people who are being looked after overnight," said the Devon and Cornwall Assistant Chief Constable, Sharon Taylor. She added: "We have particularly found that people are still trying to get home and make their way to their properties, but of course some of this water is now contaminated with sewage, and of course that could cause people health problems." Eddy Carroll, the Met Office's chief forecaster, said: "The current very unsettled run of weather is set to continue with further spells of wet and windy weather expected across the country over the next few days." By the middle of the week the weather is expected to become drier and colder, increasing the risk of icy roads. Today trains were cancelled between Exeter St Davids and Yeovil Junction because of a landslip at Honiton and flooding near Axminster in Devon. Replacement buses were cancelled because of severe flooding on local roads. The Prime Minister David Cameron pledged that the government would assist flood victims. "Shocking scenes of flooding in Cornwall and around the country," he tweeted. Richard Benyon, the floods minister, said around 485 properties had been flooded but claimed that 24,000 homes in the south-west had been protected by new flood defenses. He claimed the country was in a "massively better" position compared to the flooding in 2007 in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. But at Kempsey in Worcestershire new £1million water pumps, designed to protect the village against flooding of the River Severn, failed at around 5am yesterday. The River Avon flooded the historic town of Malmesbury, Wiltshire, forcing residents from their homes. "The water is just outside the door," said Tom Hudson, landlord of the Rose and Crown pub close to the River Avon. He added: "Houses across the road have been flooded to a depth of three or four feet, with furniture floating around in the rooms. I've been here 14 years and there were floods in 2000 and again in 2007 but this is much worse than either of those. Cleveland Police advised people not to travel "unless absolutely necessary" because of flooding on roads today. Warwickshire Fire and Rescue said that in one incident it took fire crews more than three hours to rescue three people stuck on the roof of their car which had become marooned in flood water in Preston Bagot. The crews requested a boat but the nearest was located nearly 40 miles away in Evesham, Worcestershire, and there was a delay in gaining access to the boat due to the floods. Crews kept in touch with the stranded occupants of the car on their mobile phone.