Homes damaged as dozens of flood alerts issued across England

Dozens of homes have been damaged by flooding as 42 flood alerts were issued by authorities across England on Thursday.

The UK's weather agency, Met Office, said thundery showers in England and Wales could cause 75 millimeters (nearly 3 inches) of rain to fall in just 12 hours in some areas, while dozens of homes across the Midlands were flooded Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency (EA) has issued 42 flood alerts for parts of England as a yellow thunderstorm warning for parts of the Midlands, east of England, south of England, the north-west, Yorkshire and Humber and Wales is in place until 10 pm local time (2100GMT) on Thursday.

The EA said after a National Drought Group meeting on Thursday morning that 71.3% of England remained in drought. It said only 34% of the rainfall typically expected in August had been received so far, The Guardian reported.

The agency's chief executive, Philip Duffy, said: "A few days or even weeks of wetter weather cannot reverse the impacts of several months of exceptionally dry conditions. Today's yellow thunderstorm warnings show it's possible to experience simultaneous drought and flood as heavy rain falls on compacted soils."