Heavy rain brings flooding and travel disruption

Homes were flooded in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire

Heavy rain has brought flooding and travel disruption to parts of the UK.

The Met Office said parts of Somerset and Hampshire saw a month's worth of rainfall in 42 hours, while homes were flooded in Hemel Hempstead, Herts.

The River Coquet burst its banks at Rothbury in Northumberland, and there are now more than 40 flood warnings in place in England, Scotland and Wales.

Safety checks are being carried out on rail lines and bridges following heavy rain overnight in parts of Scotland.

Train passengers have been warned to expect disruption after Network Rail inspectors discovered flooding on lines in Fife, Aberdeenshire and Angus.

• Transport safety checks after heavy overnight rain

• Homes hit for second time by 'raging torrent'

The Met Office said it expected between 25-50mm (1-2in) of rain to fall on Sunday, with as much as 70-90mm over higher ground.

It said delays or cancellations to train and bus services were possible, while spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

A yellow warning for rain remains in effect in Northern Ireland until 18:00 BST.

An amber warning for parts of the West Midlands, west and south-west England and most of Wales, and a yellow warning affecting eastern Scotland, northern, central, southern and western England came to an end at midday.

There had been 116mm of rain at Blackpitts Gate in Somerset, and 101mm at Princes Marsh in Hampshire by 18:00 BST on Saturday.

Homes in Abergwyngregyn in Gwynedd have been flooded for the second time in six weeks after a river burst its banks.

The River Brue near Westhay in Somerset flooded

Flooding has hit homes at Abergwyngregyn for a second time

The River Coquet burst its banks in Rothbury, Northumberland

Meanwhile, Flood barriers have been put in place in the Aberdeenshire towns of Stonehaven and Kemnay.

BBC weather forecaster Chris Fawkes said the number of flood warnings have risen as the rain works its way into already high river levels.

There are currently 17 flood warnings in England, including on the River Ure in North Yorkshire, the River Stour in Warwickshire and the River Aller in Somerset.

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency has 30 flood warnings and 12 flood alerts covering areas across the whole of the country.

In Wales there are two warnings for the River Aeron at Aberaeron and the River Rheidol in Aberystwyth.

The London Marathon got under way in rainy conditions

The London Marathon got under way on Sunday morning in heavy rain at St James' Park - although around 45,000 runners are taking part in a virtual London Marathon around the world.

The rainy weather affecting the UK comes after Storm Alex struck brought devastation to south-eastern France and northern Italy. At least three people have died and dozens more are missing.