UK weather latest: More storms to batter UK after flash flooding overnight and travel disruption
People were forced to wade through water and lightning sparked a fire as the UK was battered by severe weather
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Your support makes all the difference.More storms are forecast for the UK after parts of the country were battered by torrential rain and flooding last night, with people forced to wade through water and lightning starting a fire in dramatic scenes.
Forecasters warn more extreme weather is on the way and thunderstorms are likely to hit most of the north of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Midlands between 9am and 10pm on Friday.
They have also warned of difficult driving conditions and flooding.
Southwestern parts of England were the most badly affected overnight and Gloucestershire County Council said the fire service had received multiple calls over flash flooding.
On Thursday evening, Didcot Parkway railway station in Oxfordshire flooded. It was more than a foot under water, meaning passengers had to wade through deep waters or have firefighters come to their aid.
Travellers reported seeing raw sewage flowing from drains on social media and one commuter said she had been given a piggyback through a flooded underpass.
Some 100 people had to be evacuated from the Old Fire Station arts centre after water started coming through the roof.
In Herefordshire, homes were flooded and lightning sparked a small fire at a house in Colwall.
Flights were also cancelled – with 48 easyJet services affected at Gatwick Airport. Ryanair cancelled a “small number” of flights and others were delayed.
Met Office meteorologist John West said: “It will be a warm and humid day, with some decent spells of sunshine. But with the temperatures rising and an awful lot of moisture in the air, we'll see more heavy showers and thunderstorms returning by early afternoon.
“This will affect Northern Ireland, Scotland and western parts of England and Wales. With some torrential downpours, it is likely that we will see some localised flooding.”
Forecasters predict up to 1.8 inches of rain could fall in the space of just an hour in some parts - climbing to 3.6 inches in the course of three hours.
Travellers were hit with disruption during Friday’s morning rush hour. Roads were closed and rail passengers faced delays and cancellations.
There was severe disruption across the Northern rail network and Great Western Railway trains - which serve south Wales - and southern and western England, running more slowly than normally after Network Rail enforced a precautionary blanket speed restriction.
The Environment Agency called on people to check their flood risk and warned them not to drive through flood water.
Additional reporting from Press Association
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