Paris' iconic Louvre museum, and part of the capital's busy Metro system, have been closed amid growing fears heavy flooding will continue to affect the French capital.

The Louvre stopped admitting visitors on Thursday afternoon as it confirmed that it would be remaining closed to the public on Friday in case it needed to move priceless artworks to safety in the event of the swollen River Seine continuing to rise.

In an official statement the museum wrote: "The museum will remain closed to the public tomorrow out of precaution: there is no danger to the public or our staff but it will allow us to calmly remove certain art collections should itbe necessary."

The museum's decision to close came as Rail operator SNCF also announced the closure of the RER C line, which runs alongside the Seine in central Paris, after days of torrential rains caused the Seine's water level to rise rapidly to its highest level since the city's devastating floods of 1910.

It comes as other parts of Europe were also hit by heavy flooding, including Germany where at least four people have reportedly died as a result of the rainfall.