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Heavy rain warnings issued for England and Wales

The Met Office has issued a new yellow weather warnings for rain on Thursday and Friday, after days of thunderstorms and downpours caused flooding across parts of central and southern England.

Warnings for heavy rain now apply to much of England, excluding the north-west and parts of the West Midlands. Most of Wales, barring the north, are also affected.

The Environment Agency currently has 26 flood warnings and 48 flood alerts in place across England.

Heavy rain over the weekend and Monday saw houses and businesses flooded, roads and fields submerged in water, rail services cancelled and delayed, rivers overflowing, and even a football stadium closed in London after a sinkhole formed.

A new yellow warning for rain was issued on Wednesday and is in place from 17:00 BST on Thursday to 10:00 the next morning. This is an addition to a previously issued rain warning for all-day Thursday for north-east England.

Between 20 and 30mm of rain could be seen widely, 50 to 70mm could fall in some locations and it is possible the Pennines and North York Moors could have between 80-100mm of rain.

With the warning comes the risk of more power cuts, travel disruptions and flooding.

Emergency services rescued 43 people from the Billing Aquadrome holiday park in Northampton on Tuesday evening. This is the third time this year the park has been flooded.

A flood alert was issued at the park on Tuesday after heavy rain caused water levels on the River Nene to rise.

Pictures also showed the neighbouring Cogenhoe Mill holiday park flooded after the river burst its banks.

West Northamptonshire Council carried out welfare checks on any vulnerable people at Billing Aquadrome and provided an overnight rest centre and emergency bedding at Lings Forum Leisure Centre for 52 people and 22 dogs displaced by the flooding, the fire service said.

Areas including Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire were among the worst hit on Monday, the Met Office said previously.

Some parts experienced more than a month’s worth of rain in a matter of hours over the weekend and Monday.

AFC Wimbledon said its pitch at the Cherry Red Records Stadium suffered “significant damage” after the nearby River Wandle broke its banks.