Flooding fears as heavy rain sweeps across the UK

The Environment Agency currently has 11 flood warnings in place (Getty Images)

Communities in parts of the UK should expect localised flooding as periods of heavy rain sweep across areas of the country in the next two days, forecasters said.

People in south-west England and Wales will see heavy rain tonight, which could spread further east, with more downpours expected on Friday night, according to Chris Burton, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association.

The Environment Agency currently has 11 flood warnings in place, mainly in the north-east, but southern areas and Wales are more likely to be adversely affected, the forecaster said.

The Met Office has issued severe warnings for south-west England, the West Midlands and Wales.

Mr Burton said southern areas could see between 20mm and 40mm of rain over the next two days, with the figure rising to 60mm on higher ground.

The forecaster said: "There is going to be quite a lot of rain across more southern areas.

"The first bit of rain is going to be tonight in the south-west and Wales, spreading east overnight.

"There will be quite a bit of heavy rain for a time and a bit of localised flooding is possible.

"There has been quite a lot of rain in Wales so the ground is quite saturated.

"It is going to turn a bit drier tomorrow morning with a bit of drizzle later.

"On Friday night there is going to be rather heavy rain across southern parts of England and Wales."

"The rest of the country will be quite cold and chilly with showers. There will be quite heavy showers in western areas, but nothing too persistent."

Mr Burton said southern areas could expect temperatures of 13C (55F) to 16C (61F) over the next few days, while northern areas will feel colder with temperatures between 10C (50F) and 12C (54F).

PA