Warnings issued for heavy rain and wind this weekend

Gusts of up to 65mph are set to batter coasts as ferry and rail passengers are warned of cancellations and delays.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind in parts of England and Wales from 6am on Saturday until 9pm the same day.

Boat crossings on the Irish sea in the morning and the English Channel in the afternoon will likely be hit by the turbulent wind conditions as prolonged rain is also forecast.

Parts of South Wales and south-west England could see gusts of up to 50mph while coastal areas are at risk of 60-65mph wind speeds, the weather service said.

A separate yellow weather warning for rain has also been issued for Northern Ireland which begins at 12am on Saturday and ends at 12pm the same day.

This could mean flooding of train tracks and homes along with power cuts and road closures, according to the Met Office.

Gusts of 30 to 35mph are likely, while wind speeds of up to 50mph could also hit the east near coastal areas.

Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey told PA news agency that 20-30mm of rain in the area is likely while the weather warning is in place.

She added that in England and Wales the high wind speeds are the “greater concern” and could be “quite impactful” for holidaymakers camping and caravanning near the seaside.

Ms Maxey also said: “The low pressure system is pushing off across from the Atlantic. So, it’s pushing into the west side of the UK crossing, say, from the Atlantic pushing out towards the east side as we go through Saturday and clearing by the time we reach Sunday.

“Sunday’s likely to be a more showery day, not so much sunshine, there is a chance there could be some sunshine for the south and south west and in that sunshine, it’ll feel warmer, but still showers around.”

Over the last week, some of parts of the UK have seen flooding and train delays.

Between 25mm and 30mm of rain fell across parts of the north east of England on Wednesday, while areas in London saw about 20mm, the Met Office said.

Meanwhile, the south coast was battered with 45-50mph winds, as the Needles on the Isle of Wight saw 60mph gusts.

Approximately a square mile in Wembley, north-west London, was left under one-metre deep flood water, with firefighters called to rescue a man from a van and evacuate 19 people.

The Environment Agency had 21 flood alerts in England on Thursday including in areas of Dorset, Northumberland, Suffolk and Essex.

On Friday, heavy showers are likely over eastern England from the Humber down to East Anglia and there is a chance of hail and thunderstorms, the Met Office said.

Ms Maxey said: “The west, south west, perhaps a little bit drier than the east ahead of that low pressure system coming in – so, perhaps feeling a bit warmer, and lighter winds ahead of that system coming in.”

Forecasts predict that the weather will improve in the second half of next week and there will be a more to come.

Ms Maxey said: “We’re likely to see a bit more in the way of sunshine temperatures pick up (and) returning to sort of average, or a little bit above average.”