Take note: Flood chaos in Europe

Severe flooding in Central Europe is causing havoc with road and rail travel disrupted in many areas.

Severe flooding has also forced river cruise lines to change or cancel itineraries. Travel agents and clients are advised to check with river cruise operators.

River levels in the Czech Republic have risen sharply overnight after the authorities were forced to open several dams in the south of the country.

In the capital Prague, metal flood barriers are being raised to cope with the extra water on the River Vltava.

Germany has drafted in the army to help reinforce flood defences in the south. In the Bavarian town of Passau, floodwaters have now reached a level not seen since the 16th Century, making much of the town inaccessible.

In the Czech Republic, a nationwide state of emergency is in force, with water levels expected to peak later on Tuesday. Around 3,000 people have been forced to leave their homes across the west of the country. As a precaution the city's metro system and central sewage treatment plant were closed, metal flood defences were erected and sandbags built up along the banks of the Vltava.

The Charles Bridge - normally packed with tourists - has been closed and tigers at the city's zoo were tranquilised and moved out of an enclosure thought to be at risk.

Main roads in many areas of central Europe have been closed and rail services cut. Thousands of homes are without power. In Austria, the meteorological service said two months of rain had fallen in just two days.  More than 300 people were moved from their homes in Salzburg and the neighbouring Tyrol as the army worked with the civil authorities to clear landslides and make roads passable. Parts of the Pinzgau region, which includes Taxenbach, have been declared a disaster zone.