Downpours ‘a risk to life’

Flood warning issued as rain sets in

FORECASTERS warned of a potential ‘danger to life’ yesterday as a band of wet weather looks set to continue battering the UK. yellow rain warnings covering parts of the South East, including London, were raised to amber for yesterday afternoon with the worst conditions expected in the evening. The Met office predicted that up to 2.3in (60mm) of rain could fall in four to six hours, adding that ‘ homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings’. It also warned of delays and cancellations to public transport services and difficult conditions for drivers. A wider yellow rain alert covering an area of eastern England from the Humber all the way down to the south coast remained in force, but warnings for parts of the South East are expected to be lifted today. A yellow alert spanning much of eastern England from the Wash up to the Scottish border is currently in place until Thursday, however. The band of rain is expected to move slightly north and west over the week before settling, with Northern Ireland and Scotland set for the best weather.

Forecaster Steven Keates predicted that the northern Home Counties, East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Humber could bear the brunt of the rain over the coming days.

‘It is going to be more the persistence of the rain in some places and the intensity for others. Eastern and southern England in particular are likely to be seeing long and persistent bad weather. Some places could see a month’s worth of rain in two or three days, and we could see some flooding issues,’ he added.

The longer term outlook remains unsettled and wet, forecasters said, with no sign of the conditions relenting.

The heaviest downpour on Sunday night, when the weather front first swept in, was recorded in Sellindge, Kent, where 0.6in (15mm) fell in 12 hours, the Met office said.