UK weather: Flood alerts issued as 'intense' rain and strong winds hit Britain

Travel disruption expected as downpours soak England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Flood alerts have been issued across England as “intense” rain and strong winds lash the country.

The Environment Agency has put in place 21 alerts in the southwest and northeast and one more serious flood warning in coastal Hampshire as downpours soak much of the UK.

The Met Office has also issued yellow warnings for rain and wind in Northern Ireland, Wales and southwest England for Wednesday and Friday.

“Intense bursts of rain” will be accompanied by gusts of up to 60mph in some coastal areas, forecasters said.

Disruption to road, rail, air and ferry transport and flooding of homes and businesses are “likely”, added the Met Office.

“It will be generally quite windy today and tomorrow and there’s a band of heavy rain coming from the west over Thursday,” forecaster Richard Miles told The Independent.

He added: “On Friday, there will be slow-moving rain showers heavy at times coming from the west and a slight risk of thunder as well. There’ll be coastal gales on some of the western coasts and in the far northeast.”

Temperatures are set to remain mild “but the overall theme is bands of rain with heavy showers moving across the whole country”, Mr Miles said

It is expected to remain wet and windy for the rest of the week, with sunshine in some areas of the UK on Saturday.

Temperatures will be milder than they have been in recent weeks, mostly remaining between between 11C and 13C​ on Wednesday.