Thunderstorms bring flooding in South with more rain likely

HOMES were flooded in Bedfordshire yesterday as outbreaks of rain hit the South late in the afternoon, and further weather alerts were issued.

Some areas of the South East endured a month’s worth of rainfall in 24 hours on Friday, with emergency services alerting drivers to standing water on the roads in affected areas.

The Environment Agency issued 39 separate flood alerts, focusing predominantly on the South and the South West amid fears that severe conditions could last from today until Tuesday.

London, Kent, the West Midlands, Wiltshire and the Home Counties were covered by the alerts, which were sparked by the effects of thunderstorms.

Drier spells are expected across the rest of the country today, but more adverse conditions are predicted to return across southern parts and Wales in the coming week.

The DVLA urged motorists to turn their lights on amid heavy rain on the roads. The agency also told drivers to keep at least double the usual separation distance from other vehicles and advised reducing their speed.

“Monday is looking wet, especially in light of further thundery showers across France that could come back across south-west England,” Steven Keates, a Met Office meteorologist, said.

The Met Office does not currently have any weather warnings in place, but said that it was considering whether any severe warnings would be needed ahead of the expected storms tomorrow night.