Households in England and Wales are being urged to stockpile six items as soon as possible after a Met Office extreme weather warning was issued.

The weather experts have issued a two-day yellow weather warning for heavy rain for parts of England and have warned that flash flooding is possible.

The warning is in place for most of the south and midlands, and includes areas like Birmingham, London, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Brighton, Portsmouth, Norwich, Bristol, Gloucester and Cardiff in South Wales.

The Met Office warned: “Heavy showers, perhaps thundery, are possible in places on Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

“Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures

“Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.

“There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.

“There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

“There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.”

The warning begins at 9pm on Wednesday, September 4, and is in place until 9am on Thursday, September 5.

The Met Office also has key advice for people to prepare for heavy rain and flooding.

The forecaster says people should ‘think about putting together an emergency flood kit’ including six key items.

Households are being told to make sure they have a first aid kit, a torch with spare batteries, waterproof clothes and bottled water as well as a wind up radio and insurance documents to hand.

The forecaster said: “Think about putting together an emergency flood kit with essential items that will help you cope in a flood, including: Insurance documents and list of contact numbers; Torch & spare batteries; First aid kit and any prescription medicines; Warm waterproof clothes and blankets; Bottled water and snacks; Battery or wind-up radio and if it applies to you: Supplies for looking after your baby or pet.

“Make sure that everyone knows where to find this kit and what to do if flooding happens.”