Basingstoke's twin town of Euskirchen is at the centre of what is being described as the worst German floods in two generations.

The town, which has a population of around 55,000, is located just to the south west of Cologne, at the epicentre of the floods.

The Times has reported that 15 people have died from Euskirchen, with 40 people from the area missing.

Several hundred more from the wider region are unaccounted for.

Meanwhile, whilst Basingstoke's other twin town of Braine L'Alleud, Belgium, escaped the worst of the flooding, residents came together to fill five trucks worth of donations for those affected.

Food, drinks, clothes, equipment and baby clothes are among the donations dropped off at the Fromton restaurant. Its Facebook post calling for donations was quickly shared over 500 times, according to news website DH, with the trucks taking two hours longer to leave because of the volume of donations.

“We created a huge traffic jam in Braine-l'Alleud! We did not expect such a large number of people who came to bring bags for the victims.

"Five trucks in all left for the crisis centers which collect the donations," owner Sarah Wibert told DH.

Storms across parts of western Europe last week caused rivers and reservoirs to burst their banks, resulting in several flash floods as rain-soaked soil failed to absorb any more water.

Now, a massive clean-up opreation is underway as the water levels recede.

“I grieve for those who have lost their lives in this disaster,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a visit to Washington, expressing shock at the scope of the flooding. “We still don’t know the number. But it will be many.”

She pledged everything would be done to find those still missing, adding: “’Heavy rain and flooding’ doesn’t capture what happened.”