Heavy rain and flooding with major incident in Nottinghamshire

Parts of the UK are experiencing another day of disruptive weather, with heavy rain and hundreds of flood alerts and warnings in place.

A Met Office yellow warning for rain covering the south of England came into force at midday and will last until 03:00 GMT on Friday.

The warning, stretching from Cornwall to East Anglia, says there could be power cuts and travel disruption.

A major incident has been declared in Nottinghamshire due to flooding.

It comes just days after parts of Wales and England were hit by Storm Henk.

The BBC Weather Centre warned there could be more flooding with up to 40mm of rain in some places that are already saturated.

Nottinghamshire County Council declared a major incident due to flooding and risk of further flooding.

The decision was taken by authorities due to rising river levels along the River Trent, which is expected to peak this evening. The council has warned levels could come close to the highest on record in the year 2000.

It is advising residents living in flood risk areas to ensure they have preparations in place in case they are asked to evacuate. Laurie Walker, chair of a residents association for Nottingham estate for over-55s hit by flooding, said it was "like a river outside their front doors".

Nottinghamshire County Council has confirmed 50-60 properties have been flooded in the county, with the village of Gunthorpe worst affected.

There has also been flooding in Worcester, Bedford, Shropshire, Gloucestershire and Sussex.

People who live in areas covered by flood warnings should act by turning off gas, water and electricity supplies, moving things upstairs, and moving family, pets and car to safety, according to the Environment Agency, which covers England.

The Met Office warned it could be a tricky evening rush hour for southern and eastern areas with heavy rain moving through in combination with blustery winds.

BBC Weather presenter Ben Rich said the worst of the rain is currently in the south of England where the "rain really has been coming down hard and fast".

He said: "In the Bournemouth area we've seen 10mm falling in the space of just an hour - that is a lot of rain to have in such a short space of time.

"So no doubt there will be some travel problems out there."

The BBC weather centre said the worst of the rain is due to move through the evening towards the east across East Anglia, East Midlands and parts of Lincolnshire and the South East.

National Rail said train services running across Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink networks may be cancelled or delayed as a result.

Great Western Rail, which connects London with south-west England and south Wales, has advised travellers against starting their journeys by rail due to the heavy rainfall forecast on already flooded ground.

The train company's direct route between Swindon and Bristol Parkway remains closed due to flooding on tracks during Storm Henk.

South Western Railway (SWR) said customers should expect "severe disruption" on the South Coast, south of Guildford and west of Basingstoke until 19:00.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a cold weather alert for all parts of England, which will come into effect on Saturday and last until next Tuesday.

It said that after a "period of mild and unsettled weather", higher pressure coming into the weekend would mean colder temperatures.

Storm Henk hit the UK on Tuesday, bringing winds of up to 81mph and heavy rain.

The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as the fallen tree was reported an hour and a half before the collision.

A driver in his 50s was killed by a falling tree near to the town of Kemble in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire Police said.

Farmers are calling on the government to invest more in river defences in rural areas to protect UK food production.

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