More than 180 flood warnings and alerts are in place across England this morning after days of heavy rain.
The Met Office said northern and central parts of England and Wales had been hit hardest, resulting in widespread travel disruption across Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands.
As of this morning, the Environment Agency had 66 flood warnings in place across England, meaning flooding is expected, and 119 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.
A yellow rain warning for large parts of England and Wales ended at 9am this morning, with a separate amber warning for areas of the Midlands and south expiring at 6am.
Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said localised flooding would continue despite the warnings ending.
Check latest weather forecast where you are
He said: “A lot of these areas have been hit by rain in the past few weeks, which means the ground is already saturated.”
While the Met Office expects the weather to “ease up and become a bit drier”, some areas will still be dealing with the aftermath of the heavy rain.
“Rivers often take time to respond, so we’re expecting disruption to continue in central and southern parts throughout the morning. Those planning to travel on Friday should factor this into their journey times,” Mr Dewhurst said.
Commuters faced significant disruptions this morning, with heavy rain and flooding causing problems to roads and rail services.
Rail services between Shrewsbury in Shropshire and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands were cancelled, with disruption expected all morning, after severe flooding at Wellington station and a tree on the line.
Images posted on social media showed tracks at a train station in Shropshire completely submerged and abandoned cars on an empty motorway in Gloucestershire.
Avon Fire and Rescue also said this morning that it was rescuing people stranded on the M5 in Gloucestershire, which remains closed northbound between junction 16 and junction 14 because of flooding.
Read more from Sky News:
Doctor compares pandemic to daily ‘terrorist attack’
Tory peer resigns after claiming party’s ‘move to far right’
Naomi Campbell banned from being charity trustee
The motorway had reopened southbound between J14 and J15, but hour-long delays and up to four miles of congestion were still expected in both directions.
One football club has appealed for help getting their grounds “straightened up and dried out” after heavy rainfall on Thursday evening.
Non-league team AFC Telford United in Shropshire posted photos and videos on social media of significant flooding at their pitch and gym facilities.
Councils and emergency services in Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire said several roads had to be closed but reassured residents they were working to keep people safe overnight.
Tewkesbury Borough Council, in Gloucestershire, has been handing out sandbags to residents to help protect their homes against flooding.
The rain will ease this afternoon and is set to usher in much colder conditions on Saturday, the Met Office said.
