Hurricane Maria has intensified into a "potentially catastrophic" category five hurricane as it threatened to batter British overseas territories still reeling from Irma.

Maria made landfall with Dominica on Monday and is expected to reach the British Virgin Islands on Tuesday night.

The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) declared it had upgraded the hurricane to its highest category after recording 160 mph winds

The centre said the British Virgin Islands were at risk of being hit by a dangerous storm surge with destructive waves raising the water level up to 9ft (2.7m).

Up to 15 inches of rain is predicted to fall as Maria barrels across the Caribbean, with "isolated maximum amounts of 20in (51cm)" expected to deluge the British Virgin Islands.

In Anguilla up to 8in (20cm) could be recorded. The NHC has warned that "rainfall on these islands could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides".

Warnings of surges which may be nine feet higher than normal tide levels have also been issued.

Hurricane warnings have also been issued for Guadeloupe, St. Kitts and Nevis, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico where a state of emergency has been declared.

Roosevelt Skerrit, the Prime Minister of Dominica, said on his official Facebook page that he had to be rescued after the hurricane flooded his house and tore off its roof.

Meanwhile the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised against travelling to the British Virgin Islands and Montserrat. British officials have also advised against travelling to the overseas territory of Anguilla, where a tropical storm warning is in effect.

More than 1,300 UK troops are currently deployed in the region, and were sent to help with relief and repair work after Hurricane Irma.

An additional 42-strong military resilience team has also been deployed to the British Virgin Islands ready to offer support and assistance after Maria has hit.

UK International Development Secretary, Priti Patel, said: "We are under no illusions about the possible impact of Hurricane Maria and are taking every measure possible to prepare communities which have already been devastated by Hurricane Irma."

HMS Ocean, which is carrying another 60 tonnes of aid to compliment the 75 tonnes of Department for International Development relief items which has already arrived, will drop anchor in the region this weekend.

Brigadier John Ridge, the second in command of the Joint Task Force, said the British Virgin Islands has "already been weakened" and that the situation "doesn't look good".

"It kind of does not matter which way the hurricane goes, it is bad. They are either going to get the wind, which will pick up all the debris that is lying around," he said.

"And also, irritatingly, where they have made progress in getting covers over the houses and power lines up, it will potentially damage that again."