Scotland's weather: Heavy rain and thunder warning

A warning of heavy rain and thunder in western Scotland today has been issued by the Met Office.

A heavy rain warning has been extended to Scotland after flooding in England. Picture: The Scotsman

The yellow - “be aware” - severe weather alert follows downpours in England that flooded a Cornish village.

It is in force until midnight for the western half of the Central Belt, an area between Loch Lomond and Islay, and south west Scotland and the southern Borders.

The warning area also covers northern England, the Midlands and eastern Wales.

A Met Office spokesman said: “Further, possibly severe, thunderstorms may break out again this afternoon and evening, probably focused over parts of north east Wales, central and northern England.

“Some heavy, thundery rain may also spread into parts of south west Scotland by this evening, although the risk of disruption is lower here than further south.

“Although some places will miss the thunderstorms, there is a chance of localised sudden flooding of homes, businesses and roads.

“Frequent lightning and large hail may be additional hazards, the latter bringing potential for disruption to power networks.

“Although many places are likely to miss the worst of the rain, intense downpours associated with the thunderstorms may give over 30mm in an hour locally and perhaps more than 50mm in 2-3 hours.

“As is usual in this type of situation, there is uncertainty in the worst affected areas.”

The warning came as a clean-up operation begun across pockets of England which suffered flood damage after thunderstorms.

The worst-hit areas included Coverack in west Cornwall, where people were winched to safety from their homes as floodwaters coursed through narrow lanes and turned roads into rivers.

The cost of repairs and insurance in the village is already estimated at more than £1 million, with structural damage to roads and buildings.

It is the worst flooding to hit the county since the Boscastle disaster in 2004, in which 440 million gallons of water swept through the town.

Water also had to be pumped out of a number of properties at Tunbridge Wells in Kent after the fire service received more than 60 calls within an hour.