UK weather live: Met Office issue new rain warning for this week after flooding chaos

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for heavy rain on Thursday, which could lead to travel disruption.

The forecaster has warned there is a slight chance of power cuts and loss of other services to homes and business, and a small change of flooding.

Sewage alerts have been issued across England, putting swimmers at risk of illness.

Along the south coast, alerts have been issued by the charity Surfers Against Sewage for Southampton, and the stretch of sea near Folkestone.

It follows two days of heavy rain which saw 100mm fall in some areas in just 24 hours.

National Rail has just said the ongoing disruption caused by heavy flooding between Rugby and Milton Keynes is now expected to last until 1pm.

Northwestern Railway and Avanti West Coast services are being affected – including trains to and from Euston Station, some of which have been cancelled and delayed.

Commuters are facing road closures and disrupted rail services on Tuesday as dozens of flood warnings remain in place.

It comes after parts of Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire saw more than 100mm of rain in the last 48 hours with Woburn in Bedfordshire seeing 132mm recorded, more than twice the amount of its September average rainfall amount according to the Met Office.

The Environment Agency had 32 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 94 flood alerts, meaning it is possible, in place across England on Tuesday morning, but a respite from more heavy rain is expected.

A resident of Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire saw a car stuck in floodwater on the A421 and said he had never seen flooding like it in the area.

Lee Elliott, 36, said: “I’ve never seen anything like it. We’ve lived here for about 10 years and that is the worst I’ve ever seen it.

“It has flooded there before, but nothing like that. It’s normally gone within a few hours.

“I was out last night helping push cars out of the floods because we came home quite late last night and saw the cars stuck in there, so we went down there to help them.”

Euston station has apologised for the disruption caused to passengers after flooding near Milton Keynes caused rail delays.

In a post on X, they said: “We’ve been working through the night to monitor the situation & make sure the tracks are safe for trains to run.”

Showery rain will affect Scotland, extending to parts of northern England later which can be heavy at times. Elsewhere it will be a brighter at times, though fresher day than on Monday, with a few showers developing.

Rain and showers largely die out across the northeast, though showers continuing across coasts. Cloudy elsewhere and turning cool in sheltered spots.

Cloudy and mild in the south but rain reaches the southwest during the late morning, spreading eastwards across much of England and Wales by the end of the day.

Wet and perhaps windy weather affecting most areas on Thursday. Northern Scotland should remain drier, and colder. A showery, blustery and chilly northerly airstream for all on Friday.

Maximum temperatures are expected to rise no higher than the mid-teens over the coming days, the Met Office has said.

Meteorologist Liam Eslick said: “There may be odd, heavier bursts just clipping the South East as a system does slowly start to move away, but it’s a much drier day for most people.

“There is going to be some isolated showers here and there, but they’re going to be very light, nothing like the torrential rain that we’ve seen over the last couple of days.”

River levels should start to decrease to more manageable levels elsewhere towards the end of the day as more water seeps into the ground.

The shift to drier conditions in southern areas will also signal a slight dip in temperatures.

Rail passengers on two of the UK’s busiest routes face cancellations, diversions and delays during the Tuesday rush hour, due to signalling problems and flooding. Meanwhile a key road in Bedfordshire remains closed due to heavy flooding, with no indication of when the A421 might reopen.

The main line from Bournemouth, Southampton and Winchester to London Waterloo will have no trains running between Basingstoke and Winchester “until approximately 10am” according to National Rail.

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Passengers on the West Coast main line – which connects London Euston with the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland – face serious problems during the morning rush-hour.

Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway services between through Northamptonshire are seriously disrupted .

National Rail says: “Heavy flooding between Rugby and Milton Keynes Central is disrupting journeys between these stations. As a result, trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised.” Buses are replacing trains between Northampton and Milton Keynes Central.

The line running roughly parallel, between Banbury and Bicester North, is expected to be disrupted until noon.

National Rail said: “Heavy flooding between Banbury and Bicester North means the lines towards London are blocked. As a result, trains running between these stations may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes, or diverted.

“Trains running towards London will not call at Bicester North, passengers should travel to/from Bicester Village. Disruption is expected to continue until 12 noon.”