UK weather: Ferry passengers stuck for hours on rough seas amid high winds

Met Office issues yellow weather warning for rain, with unsettled forecast for coming week

The heavy rain lashing the UK this weekend is set to continue on Sunday, bringing risk of further flooding, travel disruption and power cuts to some areas.

The expected downpours bring an end to a tumultuous weekend that saw music festivals and events cancelled across the country amid widespread travel disruption due to “danger to life” flooding and a major power outage.

In the south, ferry passengers en route to Dover were delayed by up to six hours on Saturday as choppy seas led P&O Ferries to heavily reduce their fleet, while Dover port operated a "one ship in, one ship out" policy.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain in southern Scotland on Sunday, advising it could bring fast flowing floodwater with the potential for power cuts and communities to become cut off.

The Environment Agency expects flooding in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Northumberland and warns of the possibility in 22 other locations.

Saturday brought as much as 70mm of rain in some areas.

Severe flooding on railway tracks and flash floods on the roads left passengers stranded and drivers in need of rescuing across the north of England, with Spadeadam in Cumbria receiving 87 per cent of the region’s expected rainfall for August in one day.

Revellers at Boomtown Fair battled the elements, with dozens of tents destroyed by strong winds, while the first day of the Isle of Wight’s annual sailing regatta at Cowes Week was cancelled.

Those holding tickets to Boardmasters in Cornwall were forced to make do with the festival’s surfing element, foregoing the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, Foals and Jorja Smith at the cancelled main event.

Smaller scale events up and down the UK, comprising LGBT+ pride events, carnivals and sports challenges were also called off due to thunderstorms, wind and rain.

Lightning over Eastbourne amid heavy downpours (PA)

Compounding the effects of the bad weather, nearly a million homes and businesses were affected by a major power outage on Friday that knocked out traffic lights, grounded planes and affected vital hospital systems in Ipswich after a back-up generator failed.

The Met Office warns that some of the rain expected to be felt across the UK by Sunday lunchtime will by heavy and accompanied by thunder.

The yellow warning will be in place until 6pm, but forecasters say the unseasonable weather looks set to continue the following week.

“It does look like remaining unsettled and changeable right through most of the next seven days,” meteorologist Helen Roberts told the Press Association.