The heatwave is due to come to an end in Essex next week with forecasters warning intense thunderstorms could hit the county.

Forecasters are saying some places in the yellow warning area are likely to see thunderstorms from Wednesday evening from 6pm to Friday morning at 6am.

There is the potential for flooding and travel disruption.

The warning says: "There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail and strong winds.

"Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.

"Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

"There is a small chance that some communities become cut off by flooded roads.

"There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.

Temperatures have reached the high 20s in parts of Essex this weekend, and could hit 28c again tomorrow.

But the Met Office is predicting the warm temperatures will come to an end late on Wednesday.

The chief forecaster added: "Although there remains significant uncertainty in location and timing, areas of thunderstorms are expected to move northeast across parts of England and Wales from late Wednesday through to Friday morning.

"Whilst not all locations will be affected, some intense thunderstorms may occur during this period with torrential rain, hail, frequent lightning and strong gusty winds possible.

"Rainfall totals of around 30 mm could fall in an hour, with some locations potentially receiving around 50 mm in 2-3 hours, although these will be fairly isolated."