Heavy rain could worsen flooding - Met Office warns

Forecast heavy rain on Thursday could exacerbate existing flooding, the Met Office has said.

A yellow weather warning for rain in the south west of England has been issued for Thursday afternoon through until early on Friday.

The Met Office said its impact would be greater because of "saturated ground and ongoing flooding" following Storm Chandra.

The region was hit by strong winds and heavy rain from the storm on Monday and Tuesday, leaving roads and properties flooded.

The Met Office said although the band of rain moving across the south west was only expected to last for a few hours, some areas could see up to 25mm of rainfall.

Its Yellow warning also said spray and flooding on roads could make journey times longer and lead to possible disruption on public transport.

In a statement on Wednesday, Dorset Council urged motorists to avoid driving through floodwater and to obey road closure signs.

"Storm Chandra brought extremely heavy rain and rapid rises in river and groundwater levels alongside already waterlogged ground.

"In some places, river levels reached, or even passed, their highest ever recorded levels, causing water to spread over adjoining land and roads," it added.

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