The Met Office has forecasted that there is due to be heavy spells of rain from 6pm tonight, Tuesday, which may lead to flooding, power outages and travel disruption tomorrow, Wednesday.

The yellow weather warning alert was issued just after 10am this morning for several parts of the UK, including Greater Manchester and Lancashire, and will remain in place until midday tomorrow.

The forecasters warned that there is a small chance of communities being temporarily cut off and flooding to homes and businesses.

It is advised that those living in areas at risk of flooding should have a plan prepared, alongside an emergency flood kit.

Flooding may also lead to difficult driving conditions due to spray and standing water with some road closures, leading to longer travel times.

People are being urged to avoid delays by checking road conditions ahead of driving and making sure they stay up to date with any last-minute changes to public transport timetables.

It is predicted that many places will see around 10-20mm of rain with a risk of some locations seeing 50-80mm falling in a six-hour period.

According to the Met Office “impact matrix guide”, the warning has a very low likelihood and a medium impact, meaning that there may be disruption to some utilities and services and damage to buildings.