Thunderstorms and rain sweep across UK

Thunderstorms, winds and hail are sweeping across the UK and could cause flash flooding, the Met Office has warned.

Warm, humid air this week has caused the storms to develop, the forecaster said.

A yellow weather warning for England, Wales and Scotland is in place until Monday in some places.

BBC Weather's Matt Taylor said some of the worst storms could produce a month's worth of rain in a few hours.

The hot weather will continue, with temperatures reaching highs of 29C (84F) in some areas.

However, seven flood warnings have been issued on Sunday evening in places including Bagley Dike at Grimesthorpe and Hunsworth Beck at Oakenshaw.

There are also 35 flood alerts, including for the River Maun in Nottinghamshire and the River Blythe in Warwickshire.

The entrance to the A&E department of Rotherham General Hospital was flooded on Sunday evening, as footage showed water seeping into the waiting area while a member of staff put down large paper towels on the floor to try to mop the water up.

A person tries to mop up the flooding at Rotherham General Hospital

Flash flooding also left roads "impassable" in Wrexham, North Wales Police said on Sunday evening, while Wrexham AFC said the 1864 Suite restaurant inside its Racecourse ground had to be evacuated due to structural damage caused by the heavy rain.

On Sunday, yellow weather warnings were in place for thunderstorms across Wales and most of England for most of the day.

Weather warnings for rain were also in place until the evening of Sunday across northern England and the south of Scotland, due to a risk of spray and flooding.

The Met Office have issued further yellow warnings for heavy rain and the risk of flooding in the north of England a large part of Scotland for Sunday night and Monday morning.

Flooding is expected across parts of England due to the heavy rainfall on Sunday, the Met Office said, adding that Woodhouse Mill, near Sheffield, saw 35.6mm of rain between 18:00 and 19:00 BST.

North Wales Police urged road users to take care

Mr Taylor warned more rain was on the way, as he said: "Some parts of the UK could see over a months worth of rain fall in just a few hours today and tonight, leading to flash flooding and disruption in places.

"Due to the nature of thunderstorms, there could be huge variations in weather conditions over a short distance. Whilst some areas stay dry and humid, others close-by could experience the severe storms with torrential rain, hail and frequent lightning.

"Thundery rain will develop more widely this evening across northern and eastern England, before heading into Scotland."

However, he said that not everyone will see the storms, with conditions "highly variable over just short distances, and many areas remaining dry".

Late on Sunday, and into the night, the thundery rain could affect more of northern and eastern England, as well as eastern Scotland, he added.

A couple and their seven pets had to be rescued by neighbours after a lightning strike set fire to the roof of their bungalow on York Avenue, in Corringham, Essex, at about 03:45 BST on Sunday.

Thunder and lightning was spotted overnight in Penmon, Anglesey

The stormy forecast follows a week of high temperatures, where many parts of the UK officially experienced a heatwave.

The heatwave has caused some to experience heavy hay fever and worsened asthma attacks.

People have complained on social media that their hay fever symptoms are worse than usual this year.

Grahame Madge, a spokesperson for the Met Office, said this was a result of the hot, dry weather over the last few weeks.

"Pollen season is certainly with us," he said. "The fact we've had very dry conditions means that grasses can release pollenen masseinto the air column."

Heatwaves are becoming more likely and more extreme because of human-induced climate change.

The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began, and temperatures are expected to keep rising.

Despite the storms, the heat is set to continue. The highest temperature of the year so far was at Chertsey Water Works in Surrey on Saturday where highs of 32.2C were recorded.

A hosepipe ban was issued in Kent and Sussex on Friday after South East Water said it had no choice after demand for drinking water reached "record levels" in June.

Thousands of South East Water customers were left without water or experienced low pressure over the last week due to supply issues - however the water company says people in Kent and Sussex should have now seen full supplies return.

Additional reporting by Rachel Russell.