Swathes of Britain were hit by by heavy rains and strong winds for a second day on Thursday, with authorities warning of worse flooding to come at the weekend.

More than 80 flood warnings were in place, mainly in southwest and central England, and more 100 homes evacuated after torrential rains swept in on Wednesday with winds of up to 70 miles (110 kilometres) per hour.

Roads across much of Britain were deluged, leaving hundreds of drivers stranded.

The Met Office weather agency said some areas saw up to 60 millimetres (5 inches) of rain falling on already saturated ground, and forecast more downpours across the country on Saturday and Sunday.

"Another deep depression developing off Iberia will head towards us for the weekend," said the Met Office's deputy chief forecaster Paul Gundersen.

"This is expected to bring more heavy rain and strong to gale force winds to many parts of the country."