Thunderstorms hit UK on Bank Holiday Monday

The Met Office warned that 1.5 inches of rain could fall in about two hours on Monday

Bank Holiday Monday was a wash out for many after thunderstorms hit parts of England, Scotland and Wales.

Hopes of a sunny day off were dampened when the Met Office issued warnings for thunderstorms, forecasting that 40mm (1.5 inches) could fall in some places.

The Environment Agency has issued six flood warnings for the Leeds area after heavy rain hit on Monday afternoon.

Four other flood warnings also remained in place near Brighton shortly before 21:00 BST.

The yellow warnings covered larges areas of the UK

Nearly 60 less severe flood alerts were in place for similar areas and other rivers in southern England and the Midlands on Monday evening.

A yellow warning covering central Scotland and Tayside, much of the borders, northern England and part of Wales was in place until 21:00.

Another warning covered a large part of the south east of England, including London, Brighton, Portsmouth and Canterbury, but has since been lifted.

The Met Office had warned lightning strikes could lead to public transport delays, and there was a "small chance" that homes and businesses could be flooded, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning, hail or strong winds.

The latest warnings come after thunderstorms rumbled across southern England and Wales last week - with many people woken in the early hours of Thursday by dramatic lightning strikes.

Lightning flashes above a West Sussex windmill during last week's storms

BBC Weather's Ben Rich said: “It’s been a real mixed bag this bank holiday weekend.

"While some areas of the UK have seen sunshine and temperatures into the low 20s Celsius, others have endured torrential downpours.

"On Sunday parts of eastern Scotland had half a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours, leading to flash flooding – and further heavy showers are expected today."

He said temperatures are set to climb after the weekend, reaching highs of 23 or 24C in the south by Friday.

"The warmth will be fairly widespread – although parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland are still likely to see some cooler and wetter interludes," he added.