A man from Northamptonshire has described the moment he saw a “wave of water” heading towards him during flooding on Sunday night.

Tim Maher and his partner Carol Findon, from Grendon, saw their two-storey home partially submerged overnight with more than a foot of water.

Mr Maher told PA: “We’ve had an awful lot of rain in recent days and some forecasters were warning we could see a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

“I have an app on my phone which tracks river levels and at around 8:45pm it rocketed up. I decided to drive down to the bridge and saw the water breaking the banks and coming down the road towards me.

“I quickly turned around, drove home and put up a flood barrier we’ve got up against the door. It kept out a lot of the water but we’ve had about an inch overnight. We’ve had some damage to the carpets, settees and other furniture. The most difficult bit will be drying out the structure.

“We haven’t had much sleep and at least eight houses on our road have been impacted. It would be nice to get a permanent solution to this problem.”

A hairdresser was cleaning up mud outside her salon in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, on Monday morning after floodwater reached knee height on Sunday.

Kirsty Brewer told the PA news agency it was the fourth time the business had flooded in the last six or seven years and the first time it caused thousands of pounds of damage.

The 31-year-old, who rents a chair in the business, said: “It started yesterday afternoon when the whole of Dunstable was flooded. It was up to your knee deep, the road comes down so we’re sitting in a bit of a well.

“We don’t open on Sundays or Mondays, so it’s not affected business in that way, it’s just a big clean-up. It was full of mud when we got here at 9am.

“This is the fourth time that it has happened in the last six or seven years, so we’ve got all the electricals up, we’re prepared. We know how to handle it. Because we are a listed building we’re not allowed a floodgate. The first time that it happened it was thousands of pounds worth of damage. It happened last year, it’s like a once-a-year thing.”

There are now 17 flood warnings across England, where flooding “is expected” and 68 alerts where “flooding is possible.”

if your area has a flood warning, the government advises in some circumstances to turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies. Move your family, vehicles, pets and important items to safety and follow advice from your local council or the emergency services.

Here is everywhere affected:

– Bunches Brook from Broadway to Childswickham

– Grendon Brook catchment including Yardley Hastings, Denton, Bozeat, Easton Maudit and Grendon

– Kidbrooke Stream at Forest Row

– Low-lying areas close to Clipstone Brook at Leighton Buzzard

– Mill Brook from the Hagbourne Mill area to Winterbrook

– River Anker at Mancetter, Witherley and Atherstone

– River Flit, River Hit and River Ivel at Shefford and Clifton

– River Medway between Forest Row and Penshurst

– River Ouzel at Bletchley and Caldecotte

– River Ouzel at Leighton Buzzard, Stoke Hammond and Great Brickhill

– River Teise in Lamberhurst and Goudhurst

– Water Eaton Brook at Water Eaton

– Wider area at risk from Clipstone Brook at Leighton Buzzard

– Yeading Brook East at South Ruislip

The London Fire Brigade had to rescue a stranded car overnight near Croydon.

An image shared by the service shows the vehicle mostly underwater on Manor Road, in Wallington.

They warned drivers that just a foot of water moving 6mph could float a car.

AFC Wimbledon and Newcastle’s Carabao Cup third-round meeting on Tuesday has been called off due to “extensive overnight flooding” at the

The Dons’ stadium in London is now closed with a rescheduled date for the tie yet to be confirmed.

A statement on Wimbledon’s official website read: “We regret to inform supporters that due to extensive overnight flooding of the River Wandle and surrounding areas, including at our Cherry Red Records Stadium, Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup third-round fixture against Newcastle United has been postponed. More information will follow in due course regarding fixture rearrangement. The stadium is closed until further notice.”

The fourth round of the Carabao Cup is due to take place the week commencing October 28.

Several schools across the country have been forced to close today due to significant flooding. The flooded schools said pupils had been set to remote learning and urged parents and carers to check their websites for updates. Some school trips have also been cancelled.

Here is a list of the closures which we will be updating throughout the day if information changes.

• Chosen Hill School in Churchdown
• The Milestone School in Gloucester [Monday and Tuesday]
• Tewkesbury CofE Primary

• Frank Wise School, Banbury
• The Warriner School, Bloxham
• Lord Williams’s School, Thame
• St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, Banbury

• Goldington Academy, Putnoe
• Hockliffe Lower School, Leighton Buzzard
• Mark Rutherford School
• St Marys CofE Clophill VA, Clophill
• The Hills Academy,
• Broadmead Lower School, Park Crescent
• Sheerhatch Primary School’s Willington site
• Lincroft Academy, Oakley [only be open to Year 11 and ARC students today]
• Harlington Upper
• Harlington Lower
• Sundon Lower School, Bedfordshire

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and up towards the Wash and the Humber could be hit by the heavy rainfall.

A yellow alert was put in place throughout the day, covering parts of Wales, much of the south of England, the Midlands and into northwest England and Yorkshire.

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey added: “First thing on Monday morning then we see an amber weather warning come into force. It stretches between Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and up towards the Wash and the Humber.

“This area in particular, during Monday, we could see over a month’s worth of rain falling, and with the rain we’ve already seen over the last couple of days this certainly has the potential to bring some disruption and flooding in locations and here it is very important we do take care over the course of the day.”

The Met Office’s yellow weather warning has been extended to last until 23:59 tonight.

There is still some uncertainty regarding which areas will be affected by the heaviest rain, but at this stage parts of the south Midlands, southern and southwest England look most likely to be greatest hit.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Frank Saunders said: “Following on from the heavy rain that some of us have seen on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the new working week begins with rain across a large swathe of England and Wales.

“The area with the higher likelihood of impactful rain is now covered by an Amber warning, stretching from Gloucester across the Midlands to the Wash and the Humber.

“It’s likely that some parts of this area will be worse affected than others – it all depends on where, and if, the weather system responsible for the heavy rain stalls and pivots.

“However, within this warning period – which encompasses two rush hours – some localities will probably see between 50 and 80 mm of rain, while there’s the possibility that a few could experience in excess of 100mm of rain. Where this happens, this brings the potential for travel disruption and localised flooding.”