Floods affect several areas in Australia

Rising floodwaters have forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes in the Australian state of New South Wales on Sunday, Australian television reported.

Around 400 people were told to leave their properties near Coonamble in the north of the state as the Castlereagh River continued to spill out across fields around the town.

They were unable to leave the town because it is cut off by floodwaters, but most were planning to stay with friends and family on higher ground, local news agencies reported.

The water levels were expected to peak at 5.5 metres (18 feet) in the early hours of Monday morning.

Although the region is prone to flooding, one resident said he had never seen such severe conditions.

"I've lived here sixty years and this is as high as I've seen it," said Coonamble resident Ken Baker.

State Emergency Service workers helped farmers move livestock to higher ground, herding cattle and horses through floodwaters by boat.

Flooding was also expected around the town of Gilgandra.

The area has experienced a week of rain, some of it leftover from Cyclone Laurence which battered Australia's west coast in December.