Schools close as Met Office amber weather warnings unleash floods - full list

Schools have been closed after the Met Office issued an amber weather warning for heavy rain.

Some areas could see over a month's worth of rain falling on Monday, leading to a risk of flooding. A yellow rain warning covering most of England and Wales, except the most westerly and northerly regions, surrounds the more severe amber warning.

In amber warning areas, residents are advised to prepare travel disruption and localised floods. Birmingham, Sheffield, Northampton and Stoke-on-Trent are among the towns and cities included in the warning, which applies to parts of northern and central England.

Flooding began last night in the southeast of the country, with residents in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, and Hitchin, Hertfordshire, forced out of their homes by the rising water. Bedfordshire Police warned on Sunday that the town's High Street was closed because of "substantial flooding".

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Frank Saunders said: “Following on from the heavy rain that some of us have seen on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the new working week begins with rain across a large swathe of England and Wales. The area with the higher likelihood of impactful rain is now covered by an Amber warning, stretching from Gloucester across the Midlands to the Wash and the Humber."

"It’s likely that some parts of this area will be worse affected than others – it all depends on where, and if, the weather system responsible for the heavy rain stalls and pivots. However, within this warning period - which encompasses two rush hours – some localities will probably see between 50 and 80 mm of rain, while there’s the possibility that a few could experience in excess of 100mm of rain. Where this happens, this brings the potential for travel disruption and localised flooding."

Full list of schools shut today:

• Chosen Hill School in Churchdown
• The Milestone School in Gloucester
• Tewkesbury CofE Primary
• The Warriner School, Banbury

Tuesday's forecast

David Oliver, Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, said: "Tuesday’s weather will be quieter across England and Wales, although further north heavy showers could affect parts of Scotland. Through Wednesday and Thursday, unsettled weather is set to return as frontal systems move in from the Atlantic, bringing showers or longer spells of rain to many parts of the UK."

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