South East is hit by flood alerts and warnings of heavy rainfall

South East is hit by flood alerts and warnings that homes and businesses will be inundated as heavy rain drops overnight

•  Britain is braced for more showers today as weather experts predict the country could see floods
• A yellow Met Office warning of ‘persistent, and at times heavy rain’ is in place parts of the country
• The Met Office has predicted today will be a wet morning with persistent and occasionally heavy rain 

Britain is braced for more showers today as weather experts predict the country could see floods after a sharp spike in rainfall.

A yellow Met Office warning of ‘persistent, and at times heavy rain’ which may leading to ‘flooding of homes’ is in place for parts of southeast England, including Kent and Sussex.

The Met Office has predicted today will be a wet morning with persistent and occasionally heavy rain. 

The northwest of the country will remain drier, with the best chance of some sunshine. However, bands of blustery showers, some heavy and perhaps thundery, should move eastwards through all parts later. 

The maximum temperature today is expected to be 15C.

A vehicle heading for the London to Brighton race struggles through the heavy rain near Easton Station

Heavy rain across the UK this morning is expected to cause travel disruption

A tractor making easy work of a very large puddle in the road at Leybourne in Kent

A yellow Met Office warning of ‘persistent, and at times heavy rain’ which may leading to ‘flooding of homes’ is in place for parts of southeast England, including Kent and Sussex

Storm warnings battered parts of the UK this week – leading to a new of flood warnings and alerts.

Yesterday, some areas of London awoke to floods after Britain’s capital saw the equivalent of half a month’s rainfall in one night.

The UK could experience devastating floods on a scale of those seen in Germany last year if erratic weather patterns continue, The Independent reports.

196 people died in Germany after catastrophic flooding caused landslides and pummeled through towns and cities, cutting off roads and railways.

Andy Bord, chief executive of the UK’s Flood Re initiative, said: ‘We were incredibly lucky to escape something similar in this country, and it is absolutely conceivable that the same thing could happen here.

‘The recent heatwave in the UK and incidents of flooding that followed straight after are a reminder of the more extreme weather we can expect as the overall climate gets wetter and warmer.

‘Had the weather patterns been slightly different in the UK, we easily could have seen floods of the same scale as those in Germany.’

England experienced its highest temperature in a heatwave this summer, with a lengthy drought that could continue into 2023.

A car drives through flood water on the A20 in Leybourne, Kent, this morning as a yellow Met Office warning is in place for parts of southeast England

Flood warnings are in place for much of southeast England, including Kent, Sussex, as well as the Isle of Wight

Travellers head to the station in the rain after strike action by RMT was unexpectedly called off

River Derwent in Bubwith, Near Selby with rising flood water beneath Grade II Bridge following Storm Christoph

With more floods on the horizon to fill depleted reservoirs, Southern Water has lifted its three-month-old hosepipe ban for millions of homes and gardens in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

But despite the deluge which has seen bone-dry reservoirs start to fill, hosepipes and sprinklers are still barred by Thames Water and South East Water, serving London, the Home Counties and large parts of Kent and Sussex.

There was little surprise to Southern Water’s announcement as gardeners were gazing out on flooded lawns and flower beds, and the rains sent river levels surging.

The firm introduced the ban on August 5th after the summer drought saw levels dwindle in reservoirs.

It said the ban was needed to conserve supplies and protect the habitats of the River Test and the River Itchen where it extracts water.

The company said there’s been a huge drop in demand as summer-parched gardens no longer need watering and swimming pools don’t need topping up.

Along with the rain which saw floods in many places last week, the ban could be removed.

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