THE Met Office and the Environment Agency are warning people to be prepared for possible travel disruption and flooding as some areas see up to 70 mm on top of the rain that has already fallen over the last few days.

Eddy Carroll, Met Office chief forecaster, said: “While the south west will see some locally heavy showers this afternoon and evening, the heaviest and most persistent rain on Sunday night and into Monday is expected to be over parts of northern England and north Wales.

“Here we can expect between 30 and 40 mm of rain falling in many areas and up to 70 mm of rain in parts of north east England, continuing the risk of further flooding and travel disruption. We urge everyone to keep up to date with forecasts and warnings and be prepared for what the weather will bring.”

Paul Mustow, head of flood incident management, said: “Flooding has a devastating impact on peoples’ lives and our thoughts are with those that have been affected overnight and in the last few days.

“Our teams are continuing to work around the clock with local emergency services to keep communities safe and to ensure that flood defences operate effectively in what are very challenging circumstances.

“We are expecting more flooding this afternoon and overnight, and we would urge people especially in south west, central, northern England and Wales to use the daylight hours to prepare.”

The weather is expected to become drier and colder in most areas by the middle of the week, however overnight frost may then bring the risk of some icy roads after the recent rain, the Met Office said.