The amber weather warning for most of England came into force at 5am and will last until 9pm, sweeping over Birmingham, Nottingham, Worcester and Hull, according to forecasters

Environment Agency warns of ‘persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms’ as Met Office issues amber and yellow weather alerts

Parts of the UK could be battered by a month’s worth of rain on Monday as the country is set for heavy flooding, the Met Office warned. Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and up towards the Wash and the Humber could be hit by the heavy rainfall.