Parents across the South have been warned to keep their children away from floodwater over the school Christmas holidays.

Flooding is continuing across the region, and many areas filled with deep water could hide potholes, kerbs or edges of rivers and streams that could cause children to fall.

In addition, Winchester City Council has found increasing instances of floodwater being contaminated with sewage.

Although pollution levels are usually slight due to the high degree of dilution, engineers have stressed that there may still be a risk to health.

The council has also urged householders to avoid making the pollution problem worse by discharging waste water from dishwashers and washing machines into the drains.

"Ironic though it may seem, I would ask people to try to reduce their use of washing machines and other domestic appliances if they possibly can," said chief engineer, David Marklew.

"The sewers are having difficulty coping with foul sewage and large amounts of comparatively clean water from domestic appliances only adds to the volume that the systems have to deal with," he added.

Although there has been no heavy rainfall for several days, the Environment Agency has warned that it would take very little additional rain to create further critical situations in many communities.

"Up to 7,000 properties near to the chalk downs in Southern England remain at high risk of flooding through the coming months," said the agency. "Once homes start to flood they could be under water for months."

The Itchen and Test Rivers are currently flowing at record levels, with 700 properties at risk of flooding in Winchester and 1,600 at risk in Romsey and Stockbridge.