WET & WILD UK weather: Met Office issues warning over heavy rain as yellow alert sparks commuter chaos

THE Met Office has issued a heavy rain warning with wild weather expected to spark commuter chaos.

Forecasters warned downpours were set to hit parts of the UK overnight and through until this morning.

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Massive waves crashed down in Weymouth, Dorset this morningCredit: BNPS

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More heavy rain is expected with the Met Office putting a warning outCredit: Met Office

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A cyclist made his way through the flood waters along the water-logged country lanes in Dunsden, Oxfordshire this morningCredit: Rex

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The Environment Agency said there are 66 flood warnings in place, as well as 215 flood alertsCredit: Environment Agency

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It was a wet weekend for people living in Mepal in Cambridgeshire after the New Bedford River burst its banksCredit: Geoff Robinson Photography

It comes as two major rail companies urged Brits not to travel as a number of trains were cancelled due to a signalling fault.

The Met Office warned heavy rain had been set to hit south of London, down to Brighton and out to Canterbury.

Forecasters said the downpours would likely lead to some flooding and widespread disruption.

It said: "There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings."Where flooding occurs, there is a slight chance of delays or cancellations to train and bus services.

"Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

"There is a small chance that some communities will become cut off by flooded roads."

The Met Office has warned up to 4cm of rain could drench parts of the UK, while 66 flood warnings remained in place this morning.

The Environment Agency said there are also 215 flood alerts in place across the country.

Met Office forecaster Jonathan Vautrey said: “With this rain falling on already very saturated ground, there is the potential for localised flooding and do take care overnight and even into the start of Monday we could see some disruption around in places.

“Elsewhere there’ll be some clear spells overnight, showers pushing into the far north and as these start falling on frozen surfaces where we see temperatures plummeting away, we could see some icy stretches forming first thing on Monday morning.

“Generally further south east temperatures will hold up a touch more underneath the more widespread cloud here but it does mean it will be a fairly drab and grey start to the day.

"The rain as well could take until the afternoon to properly clear off, the likes of East Sussex and Kent.”

It comes as Brits were told to brace for the temperatures to dip to below zero.

The mercury plunged to -6C on Friday night leaving much of the country waking up to freezing conditions with "patchy mist and fog in places".

In Aboyne, Scotland, conditions plummeted to -6.4C during the early hours of Saturday morning.

Chilly conditions settled in from the north leaving frost on the ground - with early risers forced to de-ice their cars due to the cold blast.

What to do when the road is flooded

If the road is flooded, turn around and find another route

The number one cause of death during flooding is driving through flood water, so the safest advice is turn around, don’t drown.

Although the water may seem shallow, just 12 inches (30cm) of moving water can float your car, potentially taking it to deeper water from which you may need rescuing.

Flood water also contains hidden hazards which can damage your car, and just an egg-cupful of water sucked into your car’s engine will lead to severe damage.

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Vehicles were forced to navigate floodwaters in Dunsden todayCredit: Rex

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Swells smashed into the coast in Weymouth todayCredit: BNPS

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A car was submerged in Essex at the weekend