UK weather: Fears of further flooding as yellow thunderstorm warning issued

Heavy rain is forecast to lash parts of the UK again on Tuesday as flood-hit communities continue to clear up after last week's downpours.

Thunderstorms could cause disruption and flooding, with the Met Office issuing a yellow weather warning for much of the South East, East Anglia and parts of the Midlands, running from 6pm on Tuesday until 9pm on Wednesday.

There is also the potential for heavy showers in rain-hit Lincolnshire, putting further pressure on Wainfleet, which has suffered flooding in recent days.

"We are keeping an eye on it as there could be some issues with surface water and flooding," meteorologist Dean Hall said.

Those concerns may mean there are delays with residents returning to their homes, he added, following heavy rain last week which caused the River Steeping to burst its bank.

A spokeswoman for Lincolnshire Police confirmed the number of people evacuated from the Wainfleet area stands at 590 as the clean-up operation continues.

People evacuated from their homes in a flooded Lincolnshire town might not be able to return until Friday, while the Environment Agency said two flood warnings remained in place for the River Steeping.

Therese Coffey, the Environment Minister, claimed the rainfall last week was unprecedented as she responded to criticism that more should have been done to prevent the flooding.

She said it was important to "look at what went wrong and what can be done to remedy it in the future".

RAF Chinook helicopters dropped an additional 76 tonnes of sand and ballast in the area on Sunday after drafting in 270 one-tonne sandbags in an attempt to repair the bank on Friday.

Anglian Water Services requested Wainfleet residents avoid using washing machines, toilets and showers during the flooding, while water pumps were drafted in by the Environment Agency on Sunday to ease the flow.

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