A Met Office weather warning is in force across Greater Manchester and a large area of England and Wales.

The warning for thunderstorms came into force at 2am this morning (September 4) and lasts for 15 hours, until 5pm this evening.

Forecasters say a band of heavy showers and thunderstorms will move north-east throughout the day.

The Met Office warns there could be a chance of localised flooding caused by sudden downpours.

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Greater Manchester is expected to see the worst of the weather from around 10am this morning, into the afternoon.

A Met Office spokesperson said: "Bands of heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to move north-east across parts of England and Wales on Thursday.

"As showers progress north-east-ward they will become temporarily slow moving, leading to an increased chance of surface water flooding.

"Whilst the vast majority of places will have either non-impactful rain or remain dry, a few places within this area could see 30 to 60mm in an hour.

"Hail and lightning will be additional, possibly locally impactful, hazards."

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Drivers are being warned to take care on the roads, while residents are urged to check the latest updates for potential flood warnings.

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