Heavy rain warning issued for southern England

Forecast heavy and persistent rain on Thursday could cause flooding and travel disruption, the Met Office has said.

A Yellow weather warning has been issued for 09:00 GMT to 22:00 on Thursday Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and parts of Oxfordshire. It also extends to Sussex and Kent.

The Met Office warned that heavy rain falling on saturated ground may lead to some surface water flooding.

The Environment Agency has also flood warnings in place, including for the west Dorset area where groundwater levels remain high following heavy rainfall in December.

Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesman, said: "An area of low pressure is going to bring heavy and persistent rain to parts of southern England and will be accompanied by some gusty winds at times."

Accumulations of 20mm to 30mm are expected fairly widely, in some places falling in just a few hours, with the potential for 40mm to 50mm in a few isolated spots, the Met Office added.

The Met Office also said bus and train services could be affected with journey times taking longer, while spray and flooding on roads making journey times longer for motorists.

In a flood warning that included Bridport, Chideock, Martinstown and Milborne St. Andrew, the Environment Agency said although groundwater levels had been falling, intense rainfall will lead to surface water flooding in places.

It warned residents to prepare "property resilience measures".

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