UK weather forecast latest: New hosepipe ban to start in days as storms threaten flash floods

Thames Water has announced a hosepipe ban from next week as 15 million customers across London and other areas face restrictions.

The ban will come into force from Wednesday 24 August, and is one of many being introduced across England as water companies try to save resources during very dry weather.

In a statement on its website, Thames Water said: “After the driest July on record, and below-average rainfall in 10 of the last 12 months, water levels in our rivers and reservoirs are much lower than usual.

“With low rainfall forecast for the coming months, we now need to take the next step in our drought plan,” they added.

Holly Bancroft has the full story.

The three-day Met Office weather warning highlights the risk of potential flash floods, power cuts and travel disruption across much of the country as the heavy rain hits, writes Zoe Tidman.

But experts also warn there could be a rare health risk during the stormy weather, in the form of “thunderstorm asthma”.

Read what it is and how these events trigger breathing problems:

Parts of Scotland have witnessed heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours as the country is hit by torrential rains and is under a yellow alert.

The amount of rainfall received in several pockets exceeds what is generally witnessed in a whole week at the beginning of August.

The BBC reported that Strathallan near Perth had seen 55.2mm (2 inches) of rainfall in less than 24 hours. This is 71 per cent of the 77mm the area normally sees in the whole of August.

Houghton Hall in Norfolk saw 17mm (0.7in) of rain in the space of an hour on Tuesday afternoon, the report said.

The heavy rainfall has also sparked travel chaos with local media reporting train delays and traffic disruptions.ScotRail had warned passengers to expect delays on some routes as speed restrictions were in place due to heavy rainfall. Trains were limited to 40mph, or 20mph if the usual speed limit is lower.

Network Rail also said it was forced to deal with flooding at the Perth station.

Traffic Scotland has warned surface water was affecting many routes and urged motorists to take care.

Motorists struggled to navigate as torrential downpours sent floodwater pooling on Welsh roads.

Footage shows cars driving through a road that was inundated with water in Port Talbot.

The Met Office issued a status yellow thunderstorm warning for Wales and England, valid through to midnight, and warned that conditions could pose a danger to life.

Pictures and videos have emerged from around the UK of flash flooding in areas hit by thunderstorms since Monday.

People are sharing images of water-logging on roads and inside their houses as the downpour is expected to continue.

The rain has predominately affected the south of England and Wales as well as the Midlands and East of England.

The Environment Agency currently has 19 flood alerts in force for parts of the Midlands and south-east England as the wet weather continues to batter Britain.

Major roads have flooded in Sheffield after heavy rainfall hit the area.

Local media outlets report Abbeydale Road has completely flooded following the rain.

South Yorkshire police has asked people to avoid these five routes too.

Flash flooding has also been reported outside Woodseats Medical Centre on Chesterfield Road, Woodseats.

A car is also stranded and partially submerged by water on High Street, Beighton.

Further torrential showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast today, according to the met office, but some places will be drier and sunnier.

“Whilst some places will miss them, thunderstorms and areas of heavy rain will develop quite widely on Wednesday across central, southern and eastern parts of England and southeast Wales,” it said.

“20-30 mm of rain is possible within an hour, but where areas of thundery rain become slow-moving, some places could see 60 mm in less than three hours.”

“A few spots could see more rainfall than this still, whilst hail and lightning may be additional hazards.”

The Environment Agency had issued 29 flood alerts by yesterday night.

Flash flooding has caused the road to burst open in Sheffield.

Emergency repairs are underway after damage to a street near the city centre.

Olivia Blake, Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, said local authorities were aware of the “dramatic burst” and were dealing with it,

“Beware of danger of flash flooding and do contact relevant authorities with any issues you come across,” she posted on Twitter.

A waterspout was caught on camera when it appeared over the sea as the Cornwall coast was hit by storms today.

Footage recorded by Mark McCartney shows the huge waterspout whirled overhead near Fowey.

“It was all an amazing sight, remarkable,” he said.

Roads in parts of the UK have flooded as heavy rain and thunderstorms sweep across the country for the second day running.

Footage and photos shared to social media showed torrential rain and floodwater sweeping through towns across southern England and Wales, including Newquay in Cornwall, Bishop’s Tawton in Devon, Haywards Heath in West Sussex, Port Talbot in south-west Wales, and Bridport in Dorset.

One Twitter user shared a video of floodwater in Newquay:

Another Twitter user in Bishop’s Tawton, north Devon, shared footage of sandbags in place to prevent houses being deluged:

Scotland has also seen travel disruption on rail networks and roads on Tuesday following heavy showers.

Experts said heavy rainfall runs off very dry land, creating surface water floods, and will not soak into the ground to relieve drought-hit areas.