UK Weather: Britain Braced For Floods And Winds (PHOTOS)

UK Braced For Floods And Winds
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Flood alerts are in place in parts of the UK as heavy rain and strong winds were predicted to sweep in.

Matt Dobson, senior forecaster with MeteoGroup, the Press Association's weather division, said there would be "persistent and heavy rain" particularly in Devon, Cornwall, Pembrokeshire and Northern Ireland.

The Environment Agency issued flood alerts for the North Sea coast from Bridlington to Barmston, for east-facing coastal locations in south Devon and a number of waterways including the Upper River Tamar, St Austell and Par rivers, and rivers in West Cornwall.

Mr Dobson said: "There could be some local torrential bursts of rain, it's just very persistent rain. There could be over an inch of rain by the end of Monday.

"Devon, Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, and Northern Ireland are most at risk. There is the potential locally for some heavy bursts of rain. It does begin to move away on Monday night, but there could be some local flooding."

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for parts of England and Wales. It urged people in Northern Ireland, Wales, the West Midlands and south-west England to "be aware" of the possibility of heavy rainfall.

Some areas of south-west England were told to "be prepared" for such weather, as a period of especially heavy rain is expected over Cornwall, which could cause rivers to burst their banks, the Met Office said.

The weather service's website said: "Periods of heavy rain, accompanied at times by strong winds, will affect parts of western Britain during Monday. The public should be aware that quantities of rain may be sufficient in a few places to disrupt travel and give rise to localised flooding. In Northern Ireland the heaviest rain is expected to arrive later in the day."

Many regions are likely to see 30-60mm of rain, and in some torrential downpours could bring more than 100mm, the Met Office said.

The rainy weather is expected to move further north on Tuesday, and warnings are in place for people in southern Scotland to be aware of the conditions.