Thunderstorms and wet weather are set to blight the UK this week, with the Met Office issuing a series of yellow weather warnings for England and Scotland.
The storms will start in Scotland on Wednesday afternoon and forecasters have warned that homes and businesses could flood, while structures could be left damaged by lightning strikes, hail and strong winds.
Road closures are also expected and there’s a “slight chance” that power cuts could occur.
The bad weather will then make its way down to England where a yellow warning place is in place for everywhere except parts of the south east coast.
“A band of heavy rain followed by heavy showers or thunderstorms has the potential to bring disruption,” the Met Office website warns. “It’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities affected by spray and/or large waves.”
Travel disruption is also expected and the rain will continue into Saturday, when winds will also batter the UK.
Boardmasters music festival, which had been due to take place this weekend, was cancelled at the 11th hour on Wednesday night with organisers citing the severe weather warnings.
Explaining that they had consulted with police and independent safety advisers, they said: “The safety of you, the fans and attendees, as well as performers and crew comes first, and the potential risk is too severe for the event to go ahead at this time.”
Many fans had already begun travelling to the Cornwall event.
Residents of Whaley Bridge will also be keeping an extra close eye on the conditions.
Over 1,500 people were evacuated from the village last week over concerns a dam wall at the Toddbrook reservoir could break.
The dam suffered significant damage after flooding and with the help of the Royal Air Force, authorities have managed to repair the structure and reduce the reservoir’s water level.
Some residents were allowed to return to their homes on Tuesday evening but most faced an agonising wait for more news, with a community meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
