London ( CNN ) -- Thousands of homes are under threat , rail services have been canceled , and soldiers have been called in to boost flood defenses as Britain braces for more devastating rain . Authorities in the UK spent the weekend battling widespread flooding in the south and west of the country , areas among the hardest hit by heavy storms in Britain , Ireland and northwestern France . The Environment Agency has issued 14 severe flood warnings along the River Thames in southern England , where it said river levels that were already extremely high were forecast to continue to rise . Britain has been hit by bad weather since early December , namely powerful gales and torrential downpours , and swaths of southwestern England have been flooded , forcing many out of their homes . And there is no letup just yet . `` Extreme weather will continue to threaten communities this week , with further severe flooding expected Monday evening into Tuesday along the Thames in Berkshire and Surrey , '' Paul Leinster , chief executive of the Environment Agency , said in a statement . `` River levels are high across south west , central and southern England and further rain has the potential to cause significant flooding . '' Wettest January in 248 years . England suffered the wettest January since 1766 , and the Environment Agency said it is also moving toward the wettest winter in 250 years . Gusts of up to 80 mph , heavy rain and massive waves have made up the latest extreme weather coming from the Atlantic Ocean and driven , meteorologists say , by a long and powerful polar vortex . Hundreds of people have already been forced out of their homes . And with the ground heavily saturated , any more rain will increase the flood risk across the country . Soldiers have been deployed to some of the most affected areas to boost flood defenses by filling and stacking sandbags . Rivers have burst their banks , submerging nearby trees and benches and threatening properties . 'Major Incident ' Alongside the River Thames , some villages saw their main streets already flooded and thousands of homes were under threat . Some residents paddled canoes or pushed wheelbarrows filled with belongings down residential streets . `` Police have declared the flooding situation in Thames Valley a Major Incident and continue to work with partners to help local communities , '' Thames Valley police tweeted . Train connections have also been disrupted as the strong winds and heavy rain have caused flooding , landslides and obstructions on railways . `` At the moment Eastbury and Purley on Thames -- two of several areas which are on flood alert -- they 're actually flooded , '' Peta Stoddart-Crompton , of West Berkshire Council , said . `` We 've got the military helping us . We 're right in the middle of a crisis . People have had to leave their homes . We have been in an emergency situation for a few days now . We 've had our emergency center open . '' Government under pressure . The government has come under pressure for its handling of the storms battering Britain . Parts of some areas have been underwater for more than a month , with angry residents criticizing the government for not doing enough to prevent flooding or not reacting quickly enough to help those affected by the devastation . Prime Minister David Cameron has announced extra funding for flood defense repairs and maintenance . `` We will keep providing whatever immediate practical support and assistance is needed , whether that is extra pumps and sandbags ; military support on the ground ; emergency funds from the new Â£7 million ( $ 11.5 million ) severe weather assistance fund for local councils , '' he said in a statement . Cameron traveled to some of the affected areas Monday . Another meeting of the government 's emergency committee was scheduled for later on Monday . CNN 's Zahra Ullah and Lucy Pawle contributed to this report .
More severe flooding forecast in wet and windy England . Fourteen severe flood warnings issued along England . River Thames suffered the wettest 248 years in January . Government has come under pressure for its handling of the crisis .