Heavy rain accompanied by gales has been forecast for Britain throughout Tuesday, increasing the risk of flooding.

The Environment Agency has 41 flood warnings in force for the Midlands, south-west England and Wales. It also has severe flood warnings still in place at two locations in Wales.

No improvement in conditions is forecast until Wednesday, but Thursday and Friday are expected to bring more wet and windy weather.

So far, the rains have caused flooding to hundreds of homes in Wales, the north-west and the south-west of England.

In Scotland, storms have caused an estimated £250,000 of damage to St Ninian's Cathedral in Perth after high winds caused a "freak vacuum" to develop inside the building.

The Scottish Episcopal Church said the building has been forced to close because masonry has been dislodged and part of the roof has cracked.

The death toll from the week of storms, gales and flooding has reached 12.

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