Britain will be buffeted by heavy rain and strong winds today as the first major storm of the autumn gets under way.

Parts of the UK have been warned to expect more than two weeks of rainfall in 24 hours, and forecasters say there is a risk of localised flooding across the country.

South-west England and south Wales have been battered since the early hours and the rain is expected to head north east throughout the day, hitting Northern Ireland and the south of Scotland by mid-afternoon.

Paul Mott of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, warned that up to 50mm of rain was expected in the next 24 hours, as much as would be typically seen in a fortnight in September.

Experts warn that after an unusually-wet August the ground is saturated the risk of flooding is increased across the UK

Gusts of up to 50mph will make it a "thoroughly miserable" day according to Mr Mott, who advised commuters to leave extra time for their journeys because of the weather.

Mr Mott said: "For most areas it will be a wet and miserable day, and we would advise people to take care on the roads and allow extra time for their journeys.

"There will be some localised flooding in Wales and the north east in areas that are prone to it, but we're not expecting widespread flooding."

"It's going to remain unstable over the weekend. There will be rain, sometimes heavy rain, through the UK with northern England bearing the brunt of it.

People in Gloucestershire are bracing themselves for another night of heavy rain after storms swept into the region, causing flash floods.

Downpours overnight and this morning led to road closures in the county and firefighters had to pump out floodwater from homes.

Residents are now preparing for the possibility of more flooding after forecasters predicted downpours to continue throughout the night and into the morning as the South West feels the brunt of a storm coming in from the Atlantic.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for the region until this evening and say around 2in of rain is expected.

Severe weather warnings are also in force for Wales, the north west, north east, south west and south east of England as well as London.

Gloucestershire County Council has put services on high alert after learning from the lessons of the major floods which wreaked havoc throughout the county in July last year.

Around 13 houses in Lakeside Avenue, Lydney, have been affected by flash flooding and householders say it is the second time this year the street has been deluged.