PEOPLE in north Essex were last night warned to prepare for torrential downpours.

Weather forecasters predicted heavy rain and thunderstorms would hit the area with flash floods.

Up to 50mm of rainfall was expected between 7pm and midnight.

Gazette weatherman Terry Mayes said: "We're in for some heavy rain, possibly with thunderstorms too."

Despite the predictions, there were no official flood warnings issued by the Environment Agency.

The storms come on the back of some atrocious recent weather.

Last week, Bank Holiday Monday was a complete washout because of the amount of rain.

That was followed by dramatic lightning displays on Wednesday.

Mr Mayes said the unseasonal downpours were a result of rain-bearing weather coming through jetstreams much farther south than normal.

It means north Essex is getting conditions normally seen in Scotland at this time of year.