British caught in Spanish flooding

British tourists and expats have been caught up in severe flooding that has claimed the lives of eight people in southern Spain.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes after torrential rain led to flash flooding in the Andalucian provinces of Malaga, Almeria and Murcia.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was providing assistance to any Brits affected but said none of the dead are believed to be British.

Jackie Broad, 58, said her home in Mojacar, Almeria, was too high up to be flooded but she had seen cars get washed away by raging torrents of water.

She said: "The river at the bottom of our road has burst its banks. There was a lot of water, in some places up to the roofs of shops and houses.

"The water has run away now but it's left about a foot of mud everywhere. A lot of the roads are closed so we're having trouble getting around."

Those who have died include two children who were found drowned in a car in Puerto Lumbreras in Murcia, Spanish national radio reported, while it said an elderly man was found dead near the town's cemetery.

The heavy rain started on Friday morning throughout Spain and follows months of drought and soaring summer temperatures that helped trigger thousands of wildfires.