Met Office weather warning as torrential rains return to Devon and Cornwall

Westcountry homeowners have been urged to be vigilant amid warnings that torrential rain later today could lead to localised flooding.

Much of the ground in Devon and Cornwall is already saturated after days of rain in a dismal start to June. That continued yesterday as heavy sporadic showers swept across the region.

And with more wet weather expected overnight and later today, the Met Office put the region on a yellow warning – the lowest on its scale – saying that up to 30mm (1.2in) of rain could fall in some areas in just two hours.

"An area of low pressure will become slow moving across southwest England and Wales during Tuesday night, leading to some heavy showers and thunderstorms continuing through the night," the Met Office said.

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"Some places will miss these showers, but where they do occur, there is the potential for 20-30 mm of rain to fall within three hours.

"Meanwhile, heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop again during the day on Wednesday with the focus transferring to Wales, Cornwall and West Devon. These showers could produce 20-30mm within two hours.

"There is a low probability of 50-60 mm falling within three hours during Wednesday locally in Cornwall, which has the potential to cause flooding. This aspect will be kept under review and if the likelihood increases then the warning will be upgraded."

The Environment Agency said it had issued no flood alerts for the Westcountry although it was "keeping a close watch on river levels, as the weekend's heavy rain has left many areas more vulnerable to flooding".

A spokesman said the predicted rainfall "may lead to further flooding of roads, land and properties, including in Cornwall and in the areas worst affected by the rain over the past weekend".

He urged the public to stay away from swollen rivers, not to drive through floodwater and to check the agency's website for the latest situation.