YET more heavy rain and strong winds are expected to batter the South West this week as the Met Office warns of Storm Ingrid.

Periods of heavy rain and strong winds are likely to cause flooding and disruption to travel in places from Friday, January 23 and into Saturday, January 24.

Named by the Portuguese national weather service, Storm Ingrid will bring spells of heavy rain and strong winds across Devon during Friday before easing on Saturday morning, the Met Office is warning.

An initial band of rain could bring a further 10 to 20 millimetres of rain in places in a few hours, with this falling on already saturated ground.

A drier interlude is expected before further bands of locally heavy rain and showers push north into the area through the afternoon, evening and overnight.

However, a further 15 to 20 millimetres of rain is expected to fall widely across the region by Saturday morning, with 30 to 40 millimetres possible in places.

Given the saturated nature of the ground, this is likely to lead to some flooding, the Exeter-based forecaster is warning.

This second period of rain will be accompanied by strong winds and coastal gales, along with some very large waves.

Gusts are widely expected to be between 40 and 50 mph inland, and up to 60 mph near coasts, with winds peaking during Friday evening before gradually easing overnight and into Saturday morning.