Weather Warning For The South Coast

The Met Office is warning Hampshire and Dorset to expect more wind and rain on Saturday.

The bad weather's already left a trail of destruction across the South West of the country - and surface water flooding on the South Coast.

Hundreds of drivers were stranded and more than 100 people evacuated as winds reached more than 86mph. Many roads were impassable as homeowners again had to protect their properties as water deluged swathes of the country.

High winds brought down power lines in the South West and Wales.

The Environment Agency increased the number of flood warnings for rivers to 92 with 214 less serious flood alerts across England and Wales, south-west England and Wales being the areas worst affected by the downpours.

While the rainfall overnight into Friday was lighter compared with earlier in the day, much of it fell on already saturated ground.

On Thursday the Met Office said some areas saw up to 60mm (5in) of rain during the day, causing further river and surface water flooding. Westonbirt had the heaviest rainfall between 6pm and midnight, reaching 22mm, while 19mm fell in Bournemouth.

A spokesman for the MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said the country would be greeted with some welcome respite on Friday, but more storms are on their way this weekend.

He said:

''Again on Saturday it will get quite stormy overnight for all of the UK, with a particular risk of high winds in the southern half of the UK.

"There will be high rainfall totals and further flooding.''