Relentless rainfall in southern in Spain has prompted the authorities to evacuate hundreds of people as a precaution.

Around 1,500 people have been evacuated from some 400 homes in the provinces of Córdoba, Jaén and Seville. In some flooded villages people had to be rescued in dinghies.

Water levels in the Guadalquivir, which runs through the cities of Córdoba and Seville, have reached their highest point in 40 years. The river has burst its banks in several places.

Most reservoirs have opened their sluices to prevent them from overflowing.