Mapped: Hundreds of flood alerts as rivers burst banks and UK braces for washout weekend

Large swathes of the UK are set to flood as more heavy rainfall arrives this weekend

Blustery showers are expected to pour later on Friday and through Saturday and Sunday (PA)

A washout weekend is expected in the UK as hundreds of flood alerts remain in place across the country.

After torrential downpours on Thursday, blustery showers are expected to pour on Sunday after sweeping across the west, say Met Office meteorologists.

There are 57 flood warnings and 190 flood alerts in place across England with one flood warning and six alerts in Wales.

(The Environment Agency)

Saturday saw a cold and frosty start for many with sporadic showers, according to the Met Office.

Northern Scotland woke up to lows of -6°C with southern England dropping to 1 and 2°C.

Showers are set to get heavier by Sunday as rain will hit the northwest and the south turns wet and windy.

The Met Office has issued two fresh weather warnings for parts of the south west, Kent and Sussex.

The first warning encompasses the south west from 9am tomorrow as up to 40mm of rain could sweep across the area leading to flooding and travel disruption.

The second warning covers parts of Sussex and Kent from 3pm tomorrow where flooding could lead to communities being cut off.

Flood warnings are in place across England, with a high concentration in Dorset and surrounding Tewkesbury.

Flood warnings in place across England (Environment Agency)

It comes after several schools in Herefordshire and Worcestershire were forced to close on Thursday because of rising flood levels and “treacherous road conditions”, councils said.

Many roads across the West Midlands in particular were submerged and rail operators struggled to resolve issues on the tracks, with Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway services operating a replacement bus service between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.

In Gloucestershire, Tewkesbury Borough Council distributed sandbags to householders. Several roads in the county were closed due to flooding.

Flood alerts across England (Environment Agency)

The Met Office predicted the most frequent showers will be in the west and near the English Channel coasts, with thunder and hail expected at times.

An estimated 30 to 40mm of rainfall – about a week’s worth – came down in the East Midlands, east of England, London and southeast England, the southwest and West Midlands on Thursday.

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: “This heavy rain falling on saturated ground could lead to some localised flooding problems.

“Met Office warnings for that heavy rain already out across southern counties of England.”

Intense showers across southern counties could contain hail and sleet and even snow across higher ground, the meteorologist warned.

There will be a chill in the air Saturday evening and Sunday morning is set to be frosty with temperatures dropping to 1 and 2C in southern England before rainfall strikes the south of the country.