Flood and travel warning for Wales as heavy rain forecast

Weather warnings are in place from 15:00 GMT on Monday

Homeowners and businesses have been told to expect flooding overnight with heavy rain forecast for parts of Wales.

The Met Office has issued an amber "be prepared" rain warning for Powys and Ceredigion, with up to 100mm (3.9in) forecast.

A yellow "be alert" rain warning covers 16 council areas. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has also issued two flood warnings.

The downpours come on top of Wales' wettest February on record.

• Flood-hit towns battle wettest February on record

• Flooding 'a taste of things to come' for Wales

Wales was the UK's wettest region last month, as 288.4mm (11in) fell.

The overnight amber rain warning is expected to cause "fast-flowing rivers and deep flood water, causing danger to life", the Met Office warned.

Roads and gardens in Crickhowell in Powys were flooded after the River Usk burst its banks in February

Forecasters also said communities could be cut off by floods, roads could close and "power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses are likely".

The Met Office said the wet and windy weather would spread eastwards on Monday and persist until Tuesday afternoon.

Both rain warnings last until Tuesday morning - with the lesser yellow warning finishing at noon.

Rivers in Powys burst their banks as it bore the brunt during Storm Dennis in February

That yellow warning covers parts of Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea and Vale of Glamorgan.

The amber warning for rain has been issued for large areas of Ceredigion and eastern Powys, but several counties in the north and south will be hit.

NRW said communities along the River Severn were "likely to be impacted with localised flooding and possible significant impacts, with traffic and travel disruption likely".

It said staff had been making preparations, such has checking defences and ensuring culverts remained free of blockages.

"With ground conditions still very saturated, there's scope for flooding on roads across Wales, as water runs off saturated fields," said Jeremey Parr, head of flood and incident risk management.