Warnings for heavy rain are in place for most of England, excluding the north-west and parts of the West Midlands, and much of Wales. The Environment Agency has 27 flood warnings and 60 less severe flood alerts in place across England.

The additional hazard for England and Wales is that the ground is already very wet following the recent rain. Therefore, whilst the forthcoming rain won’t generally amount to as much as a few days ago, wet ground is more susceptible to flooding.

The UK's Met Office has issued yellow and amber rain warnings for heavy downpours causing flooding and travel disruptions. The Midlands, northeast England, and east Wales are expected to be most affected.

A weather warning for thunderstorms and heavy showers is in force across much of southern England and Wales. The Met Office says damage to buildings as a result of lightning strikes, disruption to public transport and flooding should be expected within the affected areas.

A yellow weather warning for rain covering southern England has been issued. The Met Office has put out the warning, which covers Kent, East and West Sussex and Surrey, between 17:00 BST on Thursday and 10:00 on Friday.