LONDON - The number of flood warnings across the country has risen to more than 75 after days of heavy rain swelled rivers to ominously high levels.

The weather is expected to remain mainly dry on Wednesday but further downpours are forecast to sweep northern regions on Thursday and the whole country on Friday.

Householders in affected areas are being issued with sandbags to protect their homes against a repeat of last year's devastating floods.

One severe flood warning was in place from Kimbolton to Great Staughton in Cambridgeshire along the River Kym.

Police said many roads in Huntingdonshire were impassable because of heavy rain overnight.

The Midlands and southwest were the areas most at risk, with some rail services disrupted by flooding.

The Environment Agency said conditions remain less severe than last year, when thousands were forced from their homes in the northeast and the Midlands.

"The problem with last summer was that we had rainbands just hanging over the areas that got flooded," said an agency spokesman.

"The plus point at the moment is that the rain has managed to go through fairly quickly.

"We have a bit of a drier day today rather than four or five days of continuous and intense rainfall.

"That will allow rivers to stabilise and we will see a few flood warnings downgraded."