Thunderstorms and torrential rain are set to batter flood-hit Britain amid fears the country could also be hit by swarms of deadly Asian hornets. Forecasters are warning of heavy downpours, hail, and lightning strikes across parts of the south east and the Midlands from 6pm tonight. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning that is set to last until 9pm tomorrow, with homes and businesses at risk of flooding, and travel disruption expected. The latest forecast has sparked fears the UK could set to be invaded by Asian hornets as the wet weather provides the perfect breeding conditions for the black and yellow striped insects. They have arrived in large numbers on Jersey, and experts say the Channel Islands are a staging post for insects flying from the Continent to Britain. The latest forecast has sparked fears the UK could set to be invaded by Asian hornets (pictured) as the wet weather provides the perfect breeding conditions for the black and yellow striped insects Asian hornets have arrived in large numbers on Jersey, and experts say the Channel Islands are a staging post for insects flying from the Continent to Britain Their stings have been blamed for the deaths of at least five people, and if a victim is allergic to the venom, they could go into anaphylactic shock and die within minutes. Alastair Christie, the Channel Island’s co-ordinator, said 13 “active nests” have been destroyed already, compared to just 12 nests in the whole of last year. The invasion threat comes as parts of Worcester has been almost completely cut off by floodwater after torrential rain battered the city. Shocking aerial photographs show Worcestershire County Cricket Club and Worcester Racecourse underwater today after the nearby River Severn burst its banks over the weekend. Worcester's streets are covered in up to 14ft of rainwater with swans seen swimming through the streets. The entire cricket pitch at Worcestershire CCC was covered in murky floodwater yesterday morning after heavy rainfall over the weekend Worcester Racecourse has been completely wiped out by flooding after rain battered the city and the River Severn burst its banks over the weekend The Environment Agency issued seven flood warnings and 19 flood alerts for large swathes of the Midlands, including Lincolnshire where 600 families were evacuated from their homes on Saturday. In Lincolnshire over the weekened, the RAF was drafted in after two months' worth of rain fell in just two days last week, bursting the banks of the River Steeping and causing chaos for households in nearby Wainfleet All Saints. Officials claim more than a thousand people could be forced to flee with more rain on its way. The Met Office's yellow thunderstorm warning reads: 'There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.' Swans are pictured swimming through a flooded street in Worcester after the River Severn burst its banks nearby Forecasters also warn of travel disruption on trains, buses and roads, adding: Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services. 'Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.' Asian hornets arrived in mainland Europe in 2014 after sneaking into France in a shipment of pottery from China. In March, nests were were found in New Alresford and Brockenhurst in Hampshire's New Forest tourist haven, raising fears that picncking families enjoying the summer holidays could be attacked. They've spread rapidly, and the latest figures from the Channel Islands indicate they now pose a major and increasing threat to the UK. The explosion in numbers is shown that the first sighting was just three years ago when one was confirmed in Gloucestershire, and a second sighting was confirmed in 2017 in North Devon. They're also a threat to wildlife with each one capable of killing and eating up to 50 honey bees a day. More fearsome than our native species, they are native to temperate and tropical Eastern Asia. Christine McClellan, of the Isle of Wight Beekeeping Association said 'If this species is allowed to establish itself on the Isle of Wight, or indeed anywhere in the UK, the effects are going to be disastrous to the eco system.' WHAT IS THE ASIAN HORNET AND THE EUROPEAN INVASION? The 'Asian hornet', scientific name Vespa velutina, is an invasive non-native species from Asia. It first arrived in France in 2014, and has since been spreading rapidly, with the first UK sighting in 2016. It is a highly effective predator of insects, including honey bees and other beneficial species. The average Asian hornet has a body span of 4.5cm and a wing span of around 7.6 cm. Since then the dark brown and orange insects have spread rapidly through the country and started to invade neighbouring countries. They have also become established in the Channel Islands and were first reported in the UK in 2016. In 2016, an Asian hornet nest was discovered in Gloucestershire and destroyed. The hornets, which grow up to two inches long (45mm) and have a three-inch wingspan (75mm), are an aggressive predator of honey bees and other pollinating insects. The hornets prey on honeybees, hovering like attack helicopters outside their hives and grabbing them on the wing. The bees are dismembered before being carried back to the hornets' nest to be fed to larvae. The charity Plantlife has warned that the hornet 'poses a deadly threat to honeybees and other pollinators and any potential sightings should be immediately reported to the GB Non-native Species Secretariat.' Queens build nests in April. They rapidly start laying eggs until the hive population reaches about 6,000 insects. A report by the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, estimates that the decline of bees worldwide poses a potentially major risk to world food supplies. Britain's bees are thought to have fallen by a third since 2007. The British Beekeepers' Association warns the public not to disturb a hornets' nest 'under any circumstances'. All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility