UK weather: Flood alerts in place as storms sweep South East

18 June 2021, 15:19 | Updated: 18 June 2021, 15:21

Heavy rain and storms are set to take over the South East throughout the next few days, with flood alerts in place across England.

The Environment Agency issued 17 flood alerts, with a focus on areas around London and Kent.

They urged drivers to not plough through flood water, warning that just 1ft (30cm) of flowing water is enough to float a vehicle.

This comes after a drop in temperature from the UK's mini-heatwave earlier in the week, which saw highs of almost 29C.

Football fans visiting the capital for the Euros match between England and Scotland could get caught in the downpour too, with temperatures expected to peak at only 17C in London on Friday. The capital experienced heavy showers.

The Met Office has also changed its yellow weather warning from thunderstorms to rain, suggesting it could lead to further disruptions with travel and flooding.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: "Most of the heavy rain in the South and East will have largely moved away by 8pm."

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"We are expecting the heaviest bursts to be continuing until about 6pm, but there is still a risk of rain afterwards."

Mr Madge explained: "In the South East, there will be rain every day for the next few days, and some places could see up to 80mm (3.2in) on Friday.

"The heaviest rain will be in places from Hampshire up to Yorkshire, where we are quite likely to see intense rainfall which will clear away tonight.

"Away from the South East, it's a relatively fine day.

"The warmest temperatures we are likely to see today are 18C (64.4F) around the Irish Sea coast - so places like Blackpool.

"Under the cloud of the South and East we are going to see temperatures getting to 15C (59F), so much cooler than the last few days."