Global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions has triggered heavy downpours in the UK, a group of leading scientists has reported, in a study presenting the strongest case yet that rainfall has been altered by human behaviour.

Scientists were unable to attribute the UK's floods over the past few weeks directly to climate change, as similar events have happened naturally in the past, but they have found a significant increase in rainfall in the regions north of 50 degrees of latitude, which includes the UK, Europe, Canada and Russia over the past century.