Met Office tells Brits in 51 areas to prepare 'emergency' kit and key items

The Met Office has told people living in 51 areas of the UK to 'consider preparing an emergency flood kit' ahead of torrential rain this weekend.

Downpours are expected to sweep across large parts of Britain over the next 48 hours, leading the Met Office to issue a yellow weather warning for rain amid fears that storms could cause flooding, spray on roads and widespreadtraveldisruption.

The warning will come into effect at 9am on Saturday, and is set to expire at 6am the following morning. Here are all the regions and local authority areas covered by the warning:

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Which areas are affected? East Midlands

• Derbyshire

North East England

• Darlington

• Durham

• Gateshead

• Hartlepool

• Middlesbrough

• Newcastle upon Tyne

• North Tyneside

• Northumberland

• Redcar and Cleveland

• South Tyneside

• Stockton-on-Tees

• Sunderland

North West England

• Blackburn with Darwen

• Blackpool

• Cheshire East

• Cheshire West and Chester

• Cumbria

• Greater Manchester

• Halton

• Lancashire

• Merseyside

• Warrington

Scotland and Lothian Borders

• Dumfries and Galloway

• East Lothian

• Scottish Borders

Wales

• Bridgend

• Carmarthenshire

• Ceredigion

• Conwy

• Denbighshire

• Flintshire

• Gwynedd

• Isle of Anglesey

• Merthyr Tydfil

• Neath Port Talbot

• Pembrokeshire

• Powys

• Rhondda Cynon Taf

• Swansea

• Wrexham

West Midlands

• Herefordshire

• Shropshire

• Staffordshire

• Stoke-on-Trent

• Telford and Wrekin

Yorkshire & Humber

• East Riding of Yorkshire

• North Yorkshire

• South Yorkshire

• West Yorkshire

• York

What does the warning say?

People living in the warning areas should "check if your property could be at risk of flooding", and "consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit" if so, according to the Met Office

The Met Office adds: "Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.

"People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items."

Wet and windy weekend ahead across the country

Despite temperatures topping 27C on Friday, this return to summery conditions will not last into the weekend, forecasters have warned.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Tom Crabtree said: "Through this period, 20-30 mm of rain is expected to fall widely, with some locations perhaps seeing 60-80 mm, with much of this total falling in just a few hours. From mid-Saturday onwards, increasingly strong gusty winds and perhaps some thunder will also accompany the rainfall, further increasing the risk of disruption.

"Strong winds are also likely in southwest England, western Wales and later parts of the northeast. These may potentially exceed 55 miles per hour, however, the exact location and timing remain uncertain at this time. We’re closely monitoring developments and may issue more warnings as the situation evolves. It’s important to stay up to date with our forecasts over the coming days."