The Met Office has warned of life-threatening flooding and has issued amber weather warnings for rain in north-west England and south-west Scotland. As of 6.25pm, there are currently three flood warnings in England and 15 flood alerts. Parts of Cumbria will see about a month’s worth of rain fall by the end of Thursday, with up to 250mm over the the Northern Fells mountain range in the Lake District. The Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said: “The rainfall total is much higher than the average rainfall for this time of year, definitely, and in general, for any time of year it’s a lot of rainfall in a short period of time.” Shuttleworth added that the region received an average of 160mm in a typical October. Downpours are also expected to hit Dumfries and Galloway in south-west Scotland from 9pm on Wednesday, lasting until 9am on Thursday. The Met Office said there could be a “danger to life from fast-flowing or deep flood water”. The amber alerts also warn of potential damage to homes and businesses from flooding, dangerous driving conditions and travel disruption. Communities could be cut off by flooded roads and face power cuts, according to the Met Office. Cumbria had already had 12 hours of heavy rainfall on Wednesday, the service said. Cumbria constabulary advised motorists to take care when driving on wet roads and be mindful that spray can reduce visibility, while Cumbria fire and rescue service said residents should be alert to the dangers of flood water. “Never enter flood water on foot or in a vehicle. Call 999 if life is at risk – we are here to help,” the service tweeted. Network Rail wrote on Twitter that there were delays to some journeys in Lancashire and Cumbria due to the persistent rain and safety-related speed restrictions are in place from 7pm Wednesday until Friday morning. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) tweeted: “A band of persistent & heavy rain in the south may lead to localised flooding from surface water & watercourses on Wednesday causing disruption to travel & flooding of low-lying land, especially in built up areas.” The agency issued a flood warning for Ettrick Valley, while three flood alerts were in place in the Scottish Borders. The rain lashing the UK is due to a stream of warm moist air that has moved up from the tropics, Shuttleworth said. On Thursday, south-west England and Wales are forecast to be hit, with a yellow weather warning for rain across much of Wales until Friday afternoon. Some disruption is expected, particularly in the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia, though not as widespread or impactful as other affected areas of the UK, according to the Met Office.