The heatwave will officially come to an end in Essex this weekend when the county gets hit by heavy rain and storms.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Essex between 12am Saturday and 12am Sunday.

It says heavy and thundery downpours are due to hit throughout the weekend and these could lead to flash flooding.

Parts of Essex were battered by thunder and hail storms yesterday, with some areas being covered in ice.

TV chef Jamie Oliver also revealed filming for a new programme had been disrupted by the extreme weather.

Temperatures are set to drop down to the lower 20s by the weekend across the county, with the threat of thunderstorms and heavy rain lingering throughout.

The Met Office says there is a 50 and 60 per cent chance of storms hitting Colchester and other parts of north Essex on both Saturday and Sunday.

There is a 60 per cent chance of heavy showers in south Essex on Saturday, but that rises to 70 per cent on Sunday.

A mix of sunshine and cloud is also forecast for the county throughout the weekend.

What does the weather warning mean?

The warning is in place to prepare people for the potential for flash flooding and disruption.

The yellow warning means there is a small chance of extreme flooding and damage being caused to properties.

Rail and bus services could also be affected by any flash flooding.

More information is available at metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice.