Somerset Levels flooding — The Somerset Levels at the height of the floods. As communities begin to recover, the cost to wildlife is only now becoming apparent. Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA

England and Wales hit by wettest winter in nearly 250 years

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Met Office confirms that England and Wales have experienced their wettest winter since records began in 1766

England and Wales have experienced their wettest winter since records began in 1766, the Met Office said on Thursday.

Parts of southern England, which has been hit by severe flooding affecting homes, farmland and critical rail links, experienced 83% more rain than average, provisional figures for 1 December 2013 to 25 February 2014 show.

The Met Office had already confirmed the wettest winter in modern records, that go back to 1910, but the amount of heavy rain has now broken the 250-year old England and Wales precipitation records with 435mm of rain falling, more than the previous record of 432mm in 1915.

February saw some heavy rain for much of the UK with south-east and central southern England receiving 133.3 mm, almost two and a half times the monthly average. South-west England and south Wales received 201 mm, double the average rainfall.