Rain Rain go away

Thunderstorms and flash floods have struck parts of southern England, causing flash flooding in large areas of central London.

Intense downpours began in London and swept the South East on Wednesday.

High Beech, in Essex, saw the highest rainfall with 64mm falling in a 24-hour period, while Frittenden in Kent had 46mm of rain falling in one hour.

Light and patchy rain in localised areas is expected over the next few days.

The Met Office forecasts that Thursday will be damp in Northern Ireland and western Scotland as rain moves eastwards, with cloudy weather across south-east England and brighter spells for Wales and central England in the afternoon.