HEAVY rain and strong winds will batter Gwent throughout the rest of today, Friday.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning predicting heavy rain and strong winds across most of south Wales, including Newport, Caerphilly, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and western side of Monmouthshire throughout the rest of today, Friday.

But, although Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has issued some flood warnings, none of these apply to Gwent, with west Wales the worst hit.

Andrea Winterton, NRW’s duty tactical manager for south west Wales, said: “We’re asking people to take care and regularly view our flood alerts and warnings, updated every 15 minutes on our live flood warning map available on our website.

“With more wet weather forecast it is also advisable to check local weather reports and news for any disruption in your area and leave extra time for journeys.

“If you want to find out if you are at risk of flooding or want to sign up for our free Flood Warning Service, please visit our website or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188.”

A statement on the Met Office website said: "A band of heavy rain is expected to move east during Friday with widely 15-25 mm of rain falling and 40-60 mm over higher ground. This will be in addition to other spells of heavy rain so far this week affecting similar areas.

"Rain will be accompanied by strong winds with gusts of 50-55 mph possible inland and 60-70 mph around some coasts."

The warning said some homes and businesses could be flooded, while spray and flooding on roads could make journey times longer, while public transport users could face delays.

High-sided vehicles such as lorries could also face delays on bridges and exposed routes, while there may be some power cuts in some areas, while coastal areas could be affected by spray and large waves.

The yellow warning is due to last until midnight tonight. The Met Office is forecasting the weekend is likely to be overcast, but largely dry, with chance of some rain on Saturday afternoon and early on Sunday morning.