Heavy rain is set to hit parts of Wales in the run-up to Christmas Day while people have been asked to stay alert for potential flooding.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain for Mid and South Wales going into Christmas Eve morning, with ground already saturated and rivers swollen from downpours over the weekend.

The warning is in place from 6am on Wednesday until 6am Thursday, with 50 to 70 millimetres of rain expected to fall across eastern parts of the country.

On Tuesday a Met Office spokeswoman told the PA news agency: “In the early hours of Wednesday morning rain will become more heavy and consistent, particularly across southern Wales, as an area of low pressure moves from the Atlantic.

“It’ll be quite a wet spell of weather from Wednesday morning onwards.

“There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing some damage, especially places that have seen a fair bit of rain so far this winter.”

But the spokeswoman said the outlook is looking more promising by the latter part of Christmas Eve morning, which will be a “brighter day with sunshine”, while Christmas Day will be “dry and chilly”.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said it was advising people to watch out for flood alerts and warnings in the run-up to Christmas day.

Duty tactical manager for NRW, Sean Moore, said: “Due to the recent heavy rainfall experienced across Wales over recent days, the ground is still very saturated and rivers extremely responsive, meaning that further rainfall may cause rivers to rise again quickly.

“Our officers are monitoring forecasts closely and are working with partners to prepare for any impacts and to minimise risk to communities.

“Driving conditions may be poor, so people are asked to take extra time and care while travelling. Flood water is extremely dangerous, and we remind people that they should not walk or drive through floodwater, as it can contain hidden dangers.”

A number of flood warnings and alerts were in place across South Wales last weekend following torrential downpours.

Emergency services were seen rescuing a DPD delivery van driver who had become stranded in flood water at Newbridge on Usk in Wales.

In Carmarthenshire, West Wales, a total of 98mm fell at Llyn-y-Fan Blaenau in 24 hours on Friday.