Weather warnings have been issued for all regions except the North East and Britons have been told to expect heavy and thundery rain, torrential downpours, a risk of hail and lightning and possible flooding. Forecasters warn that as much as a month's rain could fall in a matter of hours in some parts of the South. They are blaming a thundery area of low pressure that developed over northern Spain and is moving northwards. MeteoGroup said the air would be warm and humid, with the rain that was expected to have hit the South West last night reaching most of England and Wales by noon today. Pictured: Two shoppers hop over a large puddle in Eastbourne, East Sussex (left) while a drive battles through surface flooding on Brighton sea front (right). Seemingly undaunted by the heavy rain, a baby is pictured (inset) laughing in an overturned umbrella under a tree in a park in Surrey.

She was hoping for a fresh start for her and her family. But a handful of Kerry Katona's new neighbours haven't been so welcoming and when a local newspaper informed residents that she'd moved into the small East Sussex town of Crowborough on Monday, they accused her of 'lowering the tone' of the area. Kerry's eldest child - Lilly-Sue (left, next to her mother), 12 - took it upon herself to stand up for her mum, her stepdad George Kay and siblings Heidi, Molly and Max in an open letter (bottom right), posted on her personal Twitter account on Tuesday.

The funeral service for Cole (inset) who died earlier this month aged 90, is being held today at Reading Crematorium, Berkshire. The actor is best known as loveable rogue Arthur Daley (whose hat, right, was put on display during the service) from the TV series Minder, with Waterman as his likeable bodyguard Terry McCann. Cole's co-star Waterman (pictured arriving at the service with wife Pam, left) who once described him as one of the 'nicest blokes in the world' is to give eulogy at the service.

A record number of students have already won places at university this year, with more than 400,000 already accepted on to degree courses. It comes after experts revealed that more than a quarter of A-level results announced today will be at least an A grade. This is in spite of government efforts to toughen up public exams in recent years after complaints they were getting easier. However, around one in three students will fail to achieve the grades needed for their first choice of university and will join thousands of other applicants applying for vacant courses through clearing. Pictured, Jordan White receives his results at Winstanley College in Wigan, Lancashire (inset) and a group of pupils from Manchester School for Girls celebrate their grades.

The reality star visited the French port's notorious 'Jungle' settlement as part of a series of programmes she is making for a local TV channel. She showed them footage of Benefits Street on her phone and bought them food and supplies. After spending a day in the camp, she said the 5,000 or so people living there should be allowed to move to the UK, insisting: 'They are not interested in benefits - all they want is to feel safe and work hard for a living.'

These tiny villages are some of the nation's best kept secrets yet it's these classic hamlets, towns and beauty spots which are the pride of Britain. With undiscovered gems from the southern shores to the Welsh Marches, these secret spots offer everything that the British countryside has to boast about. With stunning scenery, incredible buildings and perfect Tudor pubs, these 20 idyllic villages are the perfect escapes. Above main, Tobermory, capital of the Isle of Mull, and Edensor in Derbyshire, inset.

PC Martina Anderson and Sgt Brett Williams, pictured at their hotel (right) and on duty (inset), are at the popular destination as part of a two-week pilot scheme, which has been launched in a bid to control rowdy British holidaymakers. After complaining their stuffy uniforms were too hot for work, the pair looked happy enough this morning as they stripped down to swimwear before laying their beach towels down on beds round the pool. Both officers were also spotted going for a relaxing dip in the sea (left) near their four-star adults-only retreat before clocking on for their third shift of the week. The scheme is already facing questions after it emerged they have no powers of arrest and are not working at night-time when most of Magaluf's drink and drug-related problems occur.

At least 50 people have died and 700 injured after two blasts erupted at a warehouse for hazardous materials in the port city of Tianjin, leaving an apocalyptic landscape (main) of incinerated cars (inset), crumpled shipping containers and burnt-out buildings. As a team of chemical experts were sent to assess the scene, officials fuelled panic by refusing to say what was being stored at the site or offering any explanation for the cause of the disaster. However, it is believed the warehouse contained at least 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide, a highly toxic chemical that can kill rapidly if inhaled, along with other highly flammable and dangerous materials. A chemical called toluene diisocyanate which can penetrate the skin and cause poisoning was also being stored at the plant, according to a Chinese doctor who warned people to wear gas masks and cover their bodies.