STRASBOURG, March 23 (AFP) - French authorities on Thursday suspended boat traffic on the Rhine after the river burst its banks. Record rainfall this month has already affected large areas of France, including the capital. The Rhine was closed to traffic along several sections of its length as experts predicted its level would continue to rise throughout the day.

In Paris roads running alongside the Seine were closed to motorists after being flooded. Boat traffic has been suspended since Friday. In the Val-de-Marne region southeast of the capital, many residents of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges were using boats Thursday to get around after the Yerres river flooded. Elsewhere in France local authorities have set up crisis units to deal with flooding that has caused mudslides, cut off villages and closed roads.

In the western Seine-Maritime department, more than 12,000 residents have been without drinking water since Wednesday amid fears the water supply could be contaminated. Some 50 families living in the village of Grainville-la-Teinturiere were also evacuated overnight after the Durdent river flooded.

Persistent rain caused the partial collapse of a medieval tower in the central village of Montbazon on Wednesday. Officials have blamed unusually mild winter weather for the flooding and more rain is expected in the coming days. Especially in eastern France, western Germany and Brittany. Residents along the German rivers Saar, Mosel and the Rhine are bracing for another flooding as well.

Bad weather in December and January already caused flooding in the north of France. The situation is particularly worrisome in regions which have already suffered flooding in recent months, the environment ministry said. The ground is saturated and the areas are now in a state of alert.