London, Jan 5 (IANS): Hundreds of properties have been flooded and residents evacuated in the UK, after a week of heavy rainfall across the country. Major travel disruptions have also been caused by the prolonged extreme weather.

Around 1,000 properties in England have been flooded this week, the Environment Agency told media on Friday morning.

The London Fire Brigade said on Friday that nearly 50 people had been evacuated after a canal burst its banks in Hackney Wick, East London, on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, a major incident has been declared along the River Trent in Nottinghamshire, with residents being asked to prepare for evacuation in areas at risk of flooding, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier this week, Britain's Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for heavy rain, which is expected to continue until Friday.

More than 500 flood warnings and alerts were in place for England on Friday morning, after a week of persistent rain across the country, caused mainly by Storm Henk.

Rail services in Britain were also impacted by flooding, with train operator Great Western Railway warning of reduced or cancelled services.

A lifeboat station on the Thames in London urged boats to stay off the river, which in the Kingston area "is currently running twice as fast as it was last Friday and is extremely powerful".