As Britain braced itself for more heavy rain the full extent of the damage caused by the floods was revealed. More than 3,500 people are now known to have been evacuated from their homes to save them from rising flood waters and at least five people died.

Estimates of the number of properties inundated in the wake of Monday’s torrential rain exceed 3,000 and several hundred people are still waiting to be allowed back into their homes. River levels were still rising in a handful of places yesterday as water from upper tributaries reached areas downstream, but in most parts they were falling.

The floods claimed another life yesterday when a man in his sixties fell out of a dinghy while on a flooded canal near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. His body was found several hours later at a lock after a search by firefighters and RAF search and rescue teams using thermal imagers.

Police in Nottingham were still trying yesterday to determine whether a man found floating in the River Leen on Monday was killed as a result of the floods.

Hilary Benn, the new Environment Secretary, visited South Yorkshire to see the extent of the devastation.

The River Torne in the Auckley area of Doncaster breached its banks yesterday morning but only farmland was affected.

Mr Benn told aides that he wanted to see some of the damage and to speak to people affected by the flooding. He was considering making a statement to the Commons today on the floods and the Government’s response.

Figures compiled by fire brigades revealed that on Monday and Tuesday there were more than 7,300 calls to the service related to flooding.

They included 3,000 in Humberside, 2,054 in Yorkshire, 450 in Shropshire, 412 in Gloucestershire, 522 in Nottinghamshire, 247 in Derbyshire, 120 in Norfolk and 186 in Staffordshire. In South Yorkshire, including Sheffield, which experienced its worst flooding on record, 400 people who were injured during the floods were helped and 200 in Humberside.

The highest number of rescues was in Humberside followed by South Yorkshire and Shropshire. Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said fire crews had been stretched to their limits.

“The Government has not understood the scale, gravity and severity of what has happened. We have witnessed the biggest rescue effort in peacetime Britain by our emergency services and it’s not over yet,” he said. “Fire crews and officers have been working to the point of collapse. Emergency fire control operators have been under major pressure, with thousands of extra calls for assistance from the public.”

Heavy rain was expected to return today in the South but the areas worst affected by the flooding are expected to escape serious rainfall until tomorrow.

Over the weekend, however, heavy and persistent rain is expected all over England, Wales and western Scotland with the worst forecast for the central areas that suffered the worst of Monday’s torrents.

Officials in Sheffield were stockpiling sandbags in preparation for the weekend’s rains which could, it is feared, cause the River Don to burst its banks again. Assistant Chief Constable Mark Whyman was, however, hopeful the city would escape the worst of the weekend’s weather. “The initial concerns about heavy rain are significantly reduced now,” he said. “I’m not a weatherman, I’m a police officer, but I’m told by the experts we are not going to see the scenes that we saw on Monday.”

He was keen to deny reports that looters had been targeting flooded properties. “There’s been a lot of wild rumours around this area and I really want to dispel those and put this message out that we are looking after people’s properties,” he said.

“We’re providing extra reassurance, extra cover, extra patrols. There’ll be the odd rogue that takes advantage of situation but we’re on their case and watching very carefully.”

Contractors in the city were still pumping out water from 150 homes in the Winn Gardens estate. Many homes elsewhere were still powerless.

Sections of the M1 which had been closed earlier in the week amid fears that the Ulley dam, near Rotherham, would burst were open again after engineers said the chances of the structure collapsing has receded. Worcestershire’s New Road cricket ground was still under water and is unlikely to stage another match until mid-July.

It will be three weeks before a temporary replacement for a road bridge in Ludlow, Shropshire, swept away by floodwater, can be put in place, engineers said.