Storm Bella is due to lash parts of the UK on Boxing Day after dozens were rescued and homes and businesses flooded by heavy rain in the run-up to Christmas.

The Met Office said conditions across the UK will turn increasingly unsettled through to December 27, with strengthening winds and heavy rain moving in from the north.

In Worcestershire there is a yellow wind warning in place for Saturday December 26 and Sunday December 27.

The Met Office said: "Very windy weather is expected for parts of England, Wales and the far south of Scotland, leading to disruption to transport and utilities.Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible. Some roads and bridges may close. Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage. Injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties. Some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, could happen."

There are currently 24 flood warnings in place in Worcestershire and 18 flood alerts.

Significant rainfall has already affected both counties, mainly across the south of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and especially around Ross-on-Wye, Ledbury and Bromyard.

This gave rise to roads becoming rivers up to 1m deep on low lying roads, preventing access to and from many locations.

Ross-on-Wye was the wettest place in UK on Wednesday 23 December, seeing more than 50mm of rainfall in 24 hours.

Yesterday and overnight Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) responded to over 50 flood related incidents including vehicles trapped in water, flooding of internal electrics, assistance to the ambulance service and attendance at a collapsed building.

Firefighters and officers from HWFRS are therefore preparing to respond to more flooding incidents across both counties, whilst remaining fully ready to respond to any Christmas-related incidents, whether cooking fires, RTCs or other problems.

Flash flooding and rising river levels can cause dangerous situations for those both in vehicles and on foot. The majority of flooding related 999 calls to HWFRS have been from motorists stuck in floodwater, often having ignored warning signs or news alerts.

“We are especially urging people not to drive or walk into flood water,” said Group Commander George Marshall, of the Community Risk department.

“Flood water can be deceptively fast moving and there may be dangers which are not visible.

“These might include, for example, lifted manholes which could expose you to the risk of falling into deep drains which you can’t escape from.

“People walking and driving into flood waters not only endanger themselves but also put at risk those who might be called upon to rescue them.”

You should never drive through more than six inches of standing water or more than four inches of moving water