UK flooding: Heavy rain causes flooding in parts of England and Scotland

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swollen river Kent in KendalImage source, PA
Image caption,
Heavy rain has caused high water levels on the River Kent in Cumbria

Parts of North West England and Scotland have been hit by flooding following heavy rain.

Road and rail travel has been disrupted in Cumbria and Glasgow with roads flooded.

There are also reports of flooding at a "handful" of homes in Cumbria.

The Met Office - the UK's national weather service - has predicted severe weather and further showers are likely to continue in the area throughout Thursday.

Image source, Cumbria Roads Watch
Image caption,
Cars were left stranded in Cumbria after heavy rain

Cumbria

Honister Pass in the Lake District has seen more than a foot (30cm) of rain in the past 36 hours.

The River Rothay is among those that have burst their banks.

Some roads have also been flooded and Cumbria Police has advised people to only travel if necessary.

Stewart Mounsey from the Environment Agency, said: "Sadly we are seeing some properties being flooded, it's only a handful at the moment, but that's obviously devastating for those involved."

"We're still gathering the number of those and locations."

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for Cumbria for the rest of Thursday.

An amber weather warning means those areas are more likely to experience some impacts from severe weather, such as disruption to transport and a risk of flooding.

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
Glasgow has also been affected by heavy rain and flooding

Scotland

Torrential rain has also caused flooding and travel disruption in the south and west of Scotland.

Glasgow and Dumfries were the worst affected areas.

Social media footage showed abandoned cars and queues of traffic as a result of flooded roads.

ScotRail has also warned that train services between Edinburgh and Glasgow are among those affected by the "extremely heavy rain".

Forecasters have predicted about 100mm (4 inches) of rain over 18 hours in some parts of the region.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) had 17 flood warnings in place on Thursday morning.

The Met Office has also warned that heavy rain was likely over parts of Wales and the South West of England on Thursday, with three flood alerts in force in Wales.