The manager of Reading FC has thanked the club and fans for their support as his home city in Spain reels from devastating floods, with the football manger saying: "I want to be there and try to help people."

Torrential rain led to widespread flooding around Spain's south eastern coast, with flood waters destroying hundreds of homes and killing more than 200 people. 

Reading FC manager Ruben Selles said it was not possible to put into words the devastation witnessed in his home town of Valencia - where his wife and son were staying when the town was hit by Spain's worst natural disaster for a generation. 

Speaking at a press conference this weekend, the 41-year-old said: "After we finished the Stockport game, when I arrived a the coach and I opened my phone, I had some messages from my wife. She's in Valencia with my son.

"The messages said they were fine, the family was fine.

"I didn't know what she was talking about and then she sent me the news.

"We haven't been directly affected, but some of our friends have lost their homes, their belongings. 

"It's been a really bad situation."

The response to the floods has sparked public protests, with angry residents in Paiporta hurling mud and shouting "murderers" at visiting officials that included Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia, a well as prime minister Pedro Sánchez and the regional leader of Valencia. 

A man cleans the street of mud in an area affected by floods in Valencia (Manu Fernandez/AP/PA)A man cleans the street of mud in an area affected by floods in Valencia (Manu Fernandez/AP/PA) (Image: PA)

Friends have told Mr Selles that the area's emergency warning system alerted residents after flood water levels had already submerged vehicles in residential streets. 

The football manager said: "We need to review the protocols and how we do things because now we're talking about lives - that's not negotiable. 

"Because we are far away we don't know how to support people. People are still trapped, people haven't appeared since Tuesday. The feeling for us is that we can't express with words the images everyone has seen. The amount of people that have lost their lives is just unreal. 

"A big part of me doesn't know how to feel, because I just feel like I want to be there and try to help people. You an see the images now - the entire population of Valencia is on the streets getting food and water for people, cleaning the streets. 

"The feeling is really bad, and you just don't know how to support your own people."

People walk through flooded streets in Valencia (Image: Alberto Saiz/AP)People walk through flooded streets in Valencia (Image: Alberto Saiz/AP) (Image: PA)Mr Selles thanked the club, its fans, and the wider Reading community for their support during the crisis, encouraging those who can to donate to relief efforts. 

He said: "I want to thank everyone for their support. I think the entire world and the club has been massively supportive."

Authorities have confirmed that a British couple - Don and Terry Turned, from Staffordshire - are among those who have died in the floods in the town of Pedralba. 

Have you or a relative been effected by the floods in Spain? If you would like to share your story you can contact richard.lemmer@newsquest.co.uk