UK weather: Potential floods for south of England as Met Office issues thunder warning

2 August 2021, 12:33

Potential flooding could be on the way for parts of the UK, following weather warnings from the Met Office.

A yellow weather warning was issued for Monday across the south of England and Wales until 11pm.

Heavy showers, torrential downpours and thunderstorms are expected as the weather takes another turn for the worse.

As a result, there is a chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, with floodwater damage, lightning strikes, hail and strong winds.

Along with the chance of flooding, the Met Office has warned that there could also be travel disruptions.

They suggested sudden flooding could lead to road closures or delays to train and bus services.

"Parts of the Isle of Wight have already seen impacts from this due to flooding with reports of up to 120mm of rain near Ventor," the Met Office tweeted.

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It comes after flash flooding saw parts of London under water in recent weeks.

Some hospitals were forced to close, while the London Fire Brigade said it had received 300 calls in just a few hours.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan labelled the change in weather as a stark reminder that "the dangers of climate change are now moving closer to home".

There have also been floods across Europe, resulting in a growing death toll.

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The government recently announced extra funding for flood prevention schemes across the UK, in a bid to protect 336,000 properties by 2027.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "Flooding has a devastating impact on people's lives and that's why we're strengthening our guidance to ensure the measures are in place to protect our homes and businesses from the risk of flooding.

"Our planning reforms will ensure that communities across the country know that future developments will be safe from floods.

"This new guidance will help local communities become more flood resilient by providing local authorities with the right tools to consider how flood risk can be prevented when planning for new homes."