More heavy rain on the way

Britain faces a further week of heavy rain interspersed with some sunshine after a spell of unseasonably warm spring weather.

The forecast is for generally unsettled and wet weather with heavy showers - with Wednesday likely to offer the most challenging conditions.

People venturing outdoors will still need their umbrellas, as today and tomorrow will see a band of heavy rain reach across the south of England and Wales, with a mixture of sunshine and showers elsewhere.

By tomorrow, the South East will be hit by thunderstorms, while the rest of the country will see a combination of rain and sunshine.

That will be followed by another wave of heavy rain that will spread north east across England and Wales on Wednesday.

That day's rain is forecast to be the strongest of the next few days, with high winds across the country, including Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Heavy showers or longer spells of rain will arrive on Thursday, but with some sunny spells developing in the south. There will be a chance of hail and thunder.

Further rain will fall on Friday, becoming more persistent and widespread in the afternoon.

Temperatures will vary between a maximum of 12C-16C and a minimum of 1C-3C.

Chris Burton, meteorologist at MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "The UK will be dominated by low-pressure systems through this week which move in from the Atlantic and then stall across the British Isles.

"Conditions will remain unsettled into the weekend with further rain at times. But it will be drier for a time across Scotland and Northern Ireland on Saturday."

PA