Amber rain warning issued as up to 100mm of rain to hit UK

Parts of the UK are set to be hit by heavy rain and weather warnings have been issued for the weekend through to Monday.

Amber and yellow national severe warnings for rain have been issued for northwest England, west and southwest Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of north Wales.

This means that the persistent rain could cause flooding and travel disruption and in the worse affected “amber” areas there is a “potential risk to life and property.”

The Met Office announced yesterday (Friday) that Cumbria, which is expected to be the hardest hit area, could potentially see more than 200mm of rain over 48 hours, particularly in the west.

More widely, 40-70mm of rain is likely, with over 100mm on the higher grounds of western Britain and up to 50mm possible over higher ground in Northern