‘Blood rain’ set to fall on UK this weekend

PARTS of the United Kingdom could be hit by a ‘blood rain’ downpour this weekend, forecasters have said.

London has been covered by a haze of smog. Picture: AP

Storms in the Sahara Desert will whip up dust that will then be carried in rain water to parts of the British Isles.

South-East and eastern England will see high levels of pollution after the showers, which are expected to hit land some time over the weekend.

Although occurrences of ‘blood rain’ in the UK tend to be brief, in some parts of the world, the reddish-brown colour of the rain can stain clothes.

A spokesman for the Met Office said: “People could find yellow, or brown dust from the Sahara Desert on their cars on Saturday morning,” while a Defra spokesperson advised that pollution levels would return to low throughout the early part of the weekend.

Health officials have advised people with heart or lung problems to take care during the period of high pollution while older people have been warned to avoid ‘strenuous activity’.

In Biblical times, ‘blood rain’ was thought to be actual blood and was considered a death omen.

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