Flood alert issued as Southport set to be battered by torrential rain

Southport will be battered by torrential rain over the coming days, with flood warnings now in place.

The warnings apply mostly to the rural areas around Southport, with Ainsdale and parts of Churchtown braced to take the brunt of the flooding risk.

An alert for severe cold weather has also been issued for England from Sunday evening as temperatures drop.

Yellow Met Office rain warnings are also already in place across most of western England and Wales.

The latest warnings follow flooding across the UK earlier this week, which caused travel disruption and hundreds of homes losing power.

The Met Office’s Helen Caughey said: “After a spell of wet and mild weather to start 2023, a brief cold spell will change the feel of our weather across the UK for a few days next week.”