UK weather: Heavy rain and strong wind sweep UK on heels of June heatwave

Severe weather warnings have been issued in Staffordshire, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Loughborough and Nottingham

The roasting June heatwave that has seen the nation’s beaches and parks inundated by sun-seekers has ended in heavy rain and tempestuous winds.

Severe weather warnings are in place until 3pm on Monday in Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north of England.

And the downpour is expected to be accompanied by winds of up to 50mph in some regions of the UK.

The downturn in the weather is a twist in the tail of the month, which has seen some of the hottest days of the year so far collide with a reduction in lockdown measures introduced to stem the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

While not reaching the highs of 33C experienced on Thursday, London is expected to reach temperatures of 22C while other areas will see the mercury rise into the mid to late teens.

Temperatures in the south of England are expected to be between 20C to 21C (69.8F) on Sunday, while the mercury could drop to 14C to 15C (59F) in the north and in Scotland.

Some areas – including higher parts of Cumbria and Lancashire – could see 120mm of rainfall, while others experience between 40mm and 50mm.

The Met Office is warning that the heavy persistent rain may lead to some disruption.

It comes after the recent heatwave saw thousands of people flock to the south coast, resulting in a major incident being declared in Bournemouth on Thursday.

Health secretary Matt Hancock went as far as warning the general public on Friday that the government was entitled to close down public spaces, including beaches, after thousands crammed on Bournemouth beach and other stretches of the Dorset coast.

On Saturday night, the Metropolitan Police said it had been forced to break up still more illegal parties, a day after arresting seven people – including one for carrying a gun – over lockdown breaches in London.

The force’s commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, said it had been a “very difficult few weeks” of lockdown easing in the capital, with officers coming under attack as they tried to break up crowds.

Additional reporting by Press Association