Residents in towns in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire have reported streets being under water after heavy rain. Pictures on social media showed parts of Dunstable and Hitchin hit by downpours, with shops and cars partially submerged.

A sea-building storm off the southeast coast is stirring up waves, setting off the flooding, meteorologists say.

At least one person is dead and six others are missing in Japan as parts of that country deal with record rainfall and the resulting catastrophic flooding, officials warned on Saturday.