REVELLERS out celebrating the new year may well avoid a drenching tonight, but further rain and gales are expected to herald the start of 2014.

Thousands of people across the UK are still recovering after storms last week caused widespread misery, with power cuts and flooding ruining Christmas for scores of families.

And forecasters say there is more bad weather to come, with the Met Office issuing a severe weather warning for rain on New Year's Day, affecting southern England and western Scotland.

The latest bad weather is set to push in from the Atlantic, crossing the UK from west to east.

Rain today is not expected to be as heavy as in recent days, but with the ground already saturated some minor flooding is likely, the Met Office said.

Gusts of up to 50mph could also bring unpleasant travel conditions, but the worst of the bad weather should be out of the way before evening.

New Year's Day is likely to see more persistent and heavy rain, particularly in southern England and South Wales.

As much as 40mm (1.6in) could fall on higher ground or coastal areas, the Met Office said, along with gales of 50-60mph.

Land sodden from the Christmas storms is expected to struggle to cope with further rainfall, and the Environment Agency has issued a number of warnings of potential flooding.

Councils are preparing for the worst, with emergency accommodation lined up in case people are forced to leave their homes, and the Local Government Association is urging people to look on council websites to keep updated with information..

Met Office spokesman Dan Williams said: "There is a big band of rain that will bring persistent rain to most parts of the UK through the day on Wednesday. It will be a pretty wet and windy day.

"It won't be on a par with the winds we've seen in some of the recent storms, but exposed areas of the western coast and some of the south coast will see speeds of 50 to 60mph.

There could be a fair amount of rain in the south and south west of England, with 10-20mm falling fairly widely, and up to 40mm in coast areas."

The Environment Agency said there was a continuing risk of flooding, particularly in the south west of England, as rivers respond to heavy rainfall.

A spokesman said: "On New Year's Day, heavy rain is expected which could cause flooding to communities in the south east and south west of England.

"The Environment Agency is urging communities to prepare in advance by signing up for free flood warnings and to take action if they receive one. A flood warning indicates that flooding is expected."

The agency said it had teams on the ground "around the clock" operating pumping stations, issuing flood warnings and checking that flood banks, walls and barriers are working effectively.

It said: "People travelling this week are also reminded to check the latest flood updates ahead of making journeys and should not drive through dangerous floodwater."

The spokesman added that there have been 1,300 properties flooded across England and Environment Agency defences have protected more than 80,000 properties.