Heavy rain brings fears of flooding

The Met Office has also warned fog is expected to develop quite widely across many parts of eastern England through the course of this evening, and will become rather dense in places. During Saturday, the fog will linger well into the morning, but most areas are expected to be clear of fog by the end of the morning.

A band of rain moved north east across the UK today, leaving drier and calmer conditions in its wake in parts of Wales, Yorkshire and central and southern England.

The Met Office predicted that 10-20 mm of rain could fall within 2-3 hours from this cold front sweeping across the country.

The Environment Agency said that localised river flooding is possible for parts of south west Wales, east Devon and south east England. It could see spray and waves topping coastal defences.

Residents on the Somerset Levels, who have seen increased river levels and a week of rain, are expecting the downpour to continue to the weekend. But a repeat of February’s flooding is currently unlikely.