Heavy rain and flash floods have hit parts of England, as the Met Office warns more downpours are expected on Thursday night.

After days of heavy rain over the weekend and Monday, motorists have been warned to take extra care when driving on roads prone to flooding, particularly in parts of central, central and southern England.

Roads have been closed and rail services have been suspended, and travel delays are expected until the weekend.

A yellow warning is in place for some areas of the Midlands and central England until 06:00 BST on Friday. Flooding and travel disruption are expected as there could be a month’s worth of rainfall.

It took place on Thursday evening The Environment Agency had 40 flood warnings and 114 less severe flood warnings across England.

Some areas covered by the yellow warning could see 30-40mm of rainfall in three hours or less, and perhaps 50-60mm or more in around six hours, the Met Office said.

Places subject to the yellow warning include Oxfordshire, Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire and Worcestershire.

Flooding hit parts of Hitchin in Hertfordshire on Thursday, with Hertfordshire Constabulary confirming the closure of Cambridge Road in the town center.

Areas in Solihull were also affected, with West Midlands Railway warning of disruption and cancellations.

Tewkesbury Borough Council is handing out sandbags to residents to protect their homes from flooding and is advising them to stack them outside their doors.

North Northamptonshire Council has warned of “significant rainfall overnight” in areas where water levels are already high.

The council said it had worked with the fire service, police, Environment Agency and other local authorities to protect residents from flooding overnight.

It also added that everyone who was evacuated from the flooded Billing Aquadrome holiday park on Tuesday evening was given temporary accommodation.

Matt Taylor, the BBC’s chief weather presenter, said some locations within the yellow warning area could see almost a month’s worth of rainfall overnight and given the saturation of the ground following rain already seen this week, existing flooding could still occur could be further tightened.

Further travel disruption is likely and rivers will continue to rise after the rain eases.

The Environment Agency is reminding people to be careful when driving through floodwaters.

Kate Marks, head of flood defense, said: “We urge people to plan their journeys carefully, follow local emergency services guidance on the roads and not drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and only 30cm Running water is enough to make your car float.”

National Highways Network Manager Stephen Basterfield said people expected to travel by car should “adjust their driving habits and take extra care” as heavy rain is expected to cause further flooding and disruption.

“Road users should plan their journey and check the latest updates on diversion routes before traveling as these may be affected by heavier rainfall.”

Some areas covered by the warning have already experienced record September rainfall this month. Parts of Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire in particular received more than three times normal September rainfall.

Yellow rain warnings that remain in effect elsewhere include:

• For Northern England east of the Pennines and North East England until midnight on Thursday
• A separate warning is in force for southern England, south Wales and parts of the Midlands until 9am on Friday

Less rain is forecast in areas under a yellow warning, but heavy rainfall could still cause flooding and traffic disruptions.

The rain is expected to end later on Friday and the forecast for the weekend will turn drier. However, forecasters say some showers cannot be ruled out, although not to the extent we have seen so far this week.

However, it will be colder for everyone and BBC Weather is monitoring the prospect of more wet and also windy weather arriving later on Sunday and into Monday.

Emergency services 43 people rescued from a holiday park in Northampton on Tuesday evening after mobile homes were surrounded by water from a nearby river that had burst its banks.

Areas including Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire were among the worst affected on Monday, the Met Office said earlier.

In some places, more than a month’s worth of rain fell in just a few hours over the weekend and Monday.

Football club AFC Wimbledon in south London said its pitch was “significantly damaged” after the nearby River Wandle burst its banks.